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Defending champions Sabalenka and Alcaraz face American hopes at US Open

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Aryna Sabalenka will play Taylor Townsend, while Carlos Alcaraz faces Tommy Paul in the U.S. Open round of 16.
  • Sabalenka has not dropped a set and is seeking a third consecutive U.S. Open title, while Alcaraz has beaten Paul in their past five meetings.
  • Eighth seed Ben Shelton will meet Stefanos Tsitsipas after dropping a set in each of his first three rounds.

Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz will face American opponents as the U.S. Open reaches the round of 16 on Sunday. The defending champions meet Taylor Townsend and Tommy Paul, respectively, while Ben Shelton takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas.

If they're going to keep smoking, I might get high.

· Aryna SabalenkaShe joked about the smell of cannabis during her match at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Sabalenka’s improved serve helped her beat Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets, with 10 aces. The four-time Grand Slam champion has not dropped a set in New York and is seeking a third consecutive U.S. Open title. She joked that the cannabis smell inside Louis Armstrong Stadium affected her more than the match, saying, “If they're going to keep smoking, I might get high.”

Townsend is seeking her first Grand Slam quarter-final. She said she felt freer on court than ever and was ready to face the world number one. Sabalenka has reached at least the semi-finals in each of the past five editions of the tournament.

I think this is the most free that I've ever been on the court... it's my time, I'm ready to take it, I'm ready to go.

· Taylor TownsendShe described her mindset before facing Sabalenka.

Alcaraz has won his past five matches against Paul, but the Spaniard has rarely had an easy contest against the American. Paul forced Alcaraz into six nervous tiebreaks across their eight meetings. “Really difficult one to play. I think he's really dangerous for everyone on the tour,” Alcaraz said, adding that Paul’s style made it difficult to control the ball.

Really difficult one to play. I think he's really dangerous for everyone on the tour. The way he plays... it's really complicated to dominate the ball.

· Carlos AlcarazHe assessed his round-of-16 opponent Tommy Paul.

Shelton reached the fourth round despite dropping a set in each of his first three matches and playing four tiebreaks. He made 54 unforced errors during a rain-interrupted victory over Denis Shapovalov but advanced. Shelton, who lost to Tsitsipas in 2023, said he was looking forward to the test and believed the Greek’s style could be effective on every surface.

Not an easy night. Nowhere near my best. Yeah, I got through it.

· Ben SheltonHe described his rain-interrupted win over Denis Shapovalov.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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