NEW YORK (AP) — Frances Tiafoe is excited to have a chance for revenge; he will face Ben Shelton again at the U.S. Open.
However, Barbora Krejcikova won’t be winning a second Grand Slam title in a row. The 2023 Wimbledon champion was eliminated in the second round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday, losing to Elena-Gabriela Ruse with scores of 6-4, 7-5.
The No. 8 seed Krejcikova had a successful summer, winning her second Grand Slam singles title, but she did not play any matches after the Paris Olympics. She admitted last week that she was unsure about her current level of play.
Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t good enough. “Winning Wimbledon is an amazing achievement. I’m really proud of how I managed everything there,” said Krejcikova, who hadn’t competed on hard courts since February.
“I felt I was playing better than in my first match, and my game was improving, but it just wasn’t enough,” she added.
No woman has won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the same year since Serena Williams did it in 2012.
On one of the hottest days of the tournament, with temperatures in New York exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), Tiafoe had a straightforward match. Three men’s matches ended prematurely when one player had to retire, including defending champion Novak Djokovic, who advanced to the third round after Laslo Djere withdrew early in the third set due to hip pain following a grueling two-hour match.
“It’s not the finish that players or fans want to see, but it’s likely because of the intense battle we had in the first two sets,” said Djokovic, the No. 2 seed.
Tiafoe, seeded No. 20, won the first two sets before his opponent, Alexander Shevchenko, retired after losing the first game of the third set. Meanwhile, Shelton, the No. 13 seed, defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Last year, he eliminated Tiafoe in the quarterfinals, preventing Tiafoe from returning to the U.S. Open semifinals.
“He’s very similar to me in that he’s energetic and excited on the court, and he hits big shots and serves powerfully while energizing the crowd,” Tiafoe commented.
However, Shelton believes that Tiafoe might have the edge when it comes to crowd engagement. “I know the fans love him here, maybe even more than me. He really knows how to energize the crowd,” said the 21-year-old Shelton. “It will definitely be a challenging match, just like the last two times we played. I’m thrilled to compete against him again.”
Both Tiafoe and Shelton are among four American men who reached the third round in this part of the draw. No. 12 Taylor Fritz advanced by defeating Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-1, while Brandon Nakashima won against Arthur Cazaux and will next face No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti, an Olympic bronze medalist.
Defending champion Coco Gauff successfully moved to the third round on the women’s side, beating Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-0. The No. 3 seed will now take on No. 27 seed Elina Svitolina.
Ruse, a 26-year-old from Romania, advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time and will face No. 26 seed Paula Badosa, who defeated American Taylor Townsend 6-3, 7-5.
Jiri Lehecka staged the biggest comeback of his career, overcoming Mitchell Krueger after losing the first two sets. He won 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a nearly four-hour match. Lehecka, the No. 32 seed, not only came back from two sets down but was also down 3-0 in the third set against the American qualifier.
“I really fought to get back into the match, and the fourth and fifth sets were intense as we both fought for every point,” Lehecka shared.
He will now play No. 6 seed Andrey Rublev, who also came from two sets down to defeat Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
Previous U.S. Open finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev both won their matches in straight sets. Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, seeded No. 7, also rallied to win against Erika Andreeva in three sets. However, No. 12 Daria Kasatkina was upset by American Peyton Stearns, who will next battle against No. 24 seed and Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic.
In another women’s third-round match, No. 14 seed Madison Keys will face No. 33 Elise Mertens. Keys, who was the runner-up in 2017, had an easy victory over Maya Joint, winning 6-4, 6-0, while Mertens defeated Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-2.
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