The quarter-finals have already started on Sunday, September 4, at the US Open. Two French people were on the courts at the start of the evening. Caroline Garcia continued the good impression displayed all summer by dominating the American Alison Riske (6-4, 6-1), 29th in the world, and qualified for the quarter-finals. Corentin Moutet, meanwhile, cracked in four sets against Casper Ruud (6-1, 6-2, 6-7 [4]6-2).
To follow in the night, the first clash of the fortnight between Nick Kyrgios and Daniil Medvedev, but also a beautiful duel on the women’s side between the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, seeded number five, and the Russian Veronika Kudermetova.
Caroline Garcia had never won against Alison Riske before this edition of the US Open. In three confrontations, the French had never even won a set against the American. But the new look version of the number 17 seed is fearless. And even less of his pet peeve. Now second in the American predictions for the final victory, just behind Iga Swiatek, Garcia has impressed since the start of the fortnight.
The course of @CaroGarcia at the US Open:
✅ 1/64: beat Rakhimova 6/2 6/4 (1h21)
✅ 1/32: beat Kalinskaya 6/3 6/1 (1h00)
✅ 1/16: beats Andreescu 6/3 6/2 (1h27)
✅ 1/8: beats Riske 6/4 6/1 (1h22)
➡️20 games granted (i.e. 2.5 games per set on average)
➡️ 5h10 spent on the court pic.twitter.com/ETOODTX2a0— Game, Set and Maths (@JeuSetMaths) September 4, 2022
Faced with Riske, the French continued her demolition business. Aggressive from the return of service, it took her nine games to gain the upper hand on her opponent’s style while countering. Then the native of Lyon unrolled her tennis, without shaking, to win in two sets (6-4, 6-1) and reach the quarter-finals. Next obstacle: Coco Gauff, Zhang Shuai’s faller.
He tried everything. Push-ups after lost points, clenching his fist even after seeing his ball bounce twice in his part of the field, in order to deceive the referee, a few sermons for the latter from time to time. Not to mention the times he pretended to want to smash his racket on the ground. Like his career, Corentin Moutet went through all the emotions against Casper Ruud. First outclassed during the first two sets (6-1, 6-2), the Habs took advantage of the Norwegian’s slowdown to finally let his beautiful left paw speak and win the third set in the tie-break (7 -6 [4]).
But when we thought the French finally able to compete, he had to surrender during the next set to end up losing (6-2). Corentin Moutet will not see the quarter-finals but he concludes his beautiful fortnight, started during the qualifications, with an unexpected course, he who was lucky loser, before joining the eighth, only stopped by the seeded number 5.