U.S. Open Day 7 after dark: Djokovic advances to quarters, Makarova upset
NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic advanced to the U.S. Open quarterfinals with a four-set victory over Roberto Bautista Agut in the first match of the night session. Check out the Day 7 day session recap here, and catch up with news and results from Day 7 after 7 p.m. at the U.S. Open below.
Novak Djokovic books his 26th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance: The last time Novak Djokovic didn’t make a Grand Slam quarterfinals was in 2009 at Roland Garros. His 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 victory on Arthur Ashe on Sunday night over No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut wasn’t easy, but there would be no Nadal-Fognini redux. Bautista Agut played well, largely avoiding unforced errors while still attacking Djokovic from the baseline. But Djokovic was ultimately too good. Bautista Agut broke Djokovic twice in the fourth set, but he was unable to take advantage: Djokovic converted all four break points he had in the fourth. Djokovic, who is searching for his third Grand Slam title of the year, will play No. 18 Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals.
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Kristina Mladenovic upsets No. 13 Ekaterina Makarova: Before the 2015 U.S. Open, Kiki Mladenovic had never reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam. But after her 7–6(2), 4–6, 6–1 win against Ekaterina Makarova in Sunday’s Arthur Ashe finale, Mladenovic is on her way to a quarterfinal match against Roberta Vinci. Mladenovic won a first-set tiebreak and had a good chance to close out the match in straight sets, but Makarova earned a crucial break to force a third. But the third set was all Kiki, as the Frenchwoman dominated the decider 6–1 to continue her improbable run. Kiki was exceptional at the net: She won 11 of 11 net points against Makarova, who won just 10 of 22 at the net. Genie Bouchard’s withdrawal, which gave Vinci a walkover win, means that at least one unseeded player will appear in the women’s semifinals.
