With the loss of third-seeded Sloane Stephens earlier Tuesday, Pliskova is the only remaining top-10 seed in the women’s singles tournament.
Serena Williams vs. Karolina Pliskova is about to begin
Karolina Pliskova beat Serena Williams in the U.S. Open semifinals two years ago on her way to the final. She can’t wait to play Williams again.
“I came here to play that match,” said Pliskova, who has yet to lose a set in this tournament. “If I’m this far, I want to be in Arthur Ashe, playing Serena. I remember that feeling. It doesn’t have to be that I beat her, but just to be there and play against her. I know she’s not No. 1 now as she was two years ago, but she’s still an amazing player.”
The players will walk on to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court around 7 p.m. Eastern.
Del Potro outlasts Isner
Juan Martín del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, reached the semifinals for the second year in a row, defeating the top American man, 11th-seeded John Isner, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Photo Juan Martin del Potro reached the U.S. Open semifinals for the second year in a row.
Credit
Uli Seit for The New York Times
In a 3-hour-31 minute match that began in the hottest part of the day, del Potro withstood 26 aces from Isner with superb serving on his own. The third-seeded del Potro won 89 percent of his first-serve points. He also had only 14 unforced errors to go with 49 winners.
Del Potro will get two days of rest before Friday’s semifinal, where he will play either Rafael Nadal or Dominic Thiem. Nadal eliminated del Potro from the French Open and Wimbledon this year and beat him in the U.S. Open semifinals last year.
Isner, a semifinalist at Wimbledon, is having his finest season at age 33. He will now take a bit of a break from tennis as he awaits the birth of his first child, a daughter, later this month.
Junior matches resume
Around 3:45 p.m., play in the junior tournament began again after it had been suspended because of heat rules. The heat break lasted approximately two and a half hours.
Who are those del Potro fans?
If you are watching the U.S. Open on TV, you will notice many shots of a rowdy group of men in a suite, cheering for Juan Martín del Potro against John Isner with a wide variety of songs and chants.
Photo
Friends of Juan Martin del Potro have been cheering for him from a suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Credit
Uli Seit for The New York Times
They are del Potro superfans, of course. But they are more than that. They are his childhood friends from Tandil, Argentina.
They have been a constant presence at his matches at the Open, enlivening even his most straightforward appearances at Ashe Stadium.
Del Potro did not lose a set in the first four rounds, but Isner took the first set of their quarterfinal, 7-6 (5), before dropping the second.
Sevastova ousts Stephens
On another steamy day, another top woman was eliminated from the tournament. No. 19 seed Anastasija Sevastova upset third-seeded Sloane Stephens, the defending champion, 6-2, 6-3, in the quarterfinals.
With Stephens’s loss, all four of the reigning Grand Slam champions have lost at this Open. The highest remaining seed in the women’s draw is No. 8 Karolina Pliskova, who plays Serena Williams on Tuesday night.
Photo
Anastasija Sevastova defeated Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
Credit
Uli Seit for The New York Times
Sevastova, a 28-year-old Latvian, has reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals three years in a row. She advanced to her first Grand Slam semifinal.
Stephens, known for her speed and fitness, struggled in the conditions, regularly complaining to her coach and at one point loudly cursing the heat and the bright sunshine.
Junior tournament is suspended
At about 1:15 p.m., the matches in the U.S. Open junior event, for players 18 and under, were suspended because of the heat.
Though the Open’s extreme heat policy applies to all singles matches, senior or junior, the junior event takes things a step further. If the wet bulb globe temperature — which factors in air temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover — exceeds 32.2 degrees Celsius, players are taken off the court.
Temperature readings will take place every half-hour, and junior matches will not resume until the reading is below 32.2 degrees Celsius. CINDY SHMERLER
There was a match taking place here a few moments ago. But matches on the baking, shadeless outer courts have been suspended. pic.twitter.com/XKW5WdXKVI
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David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein)
Sept. 4, 2018
Yes, it’s hot
The U.S. Open’s extreme heat policy is in effect for the fifth day of the tournament. That means for men’s singles matches, a 10-minute break will be allowed between the third and fourth sets. For women’s, boys’ and girls’ singles matches, a 10-minute break will be allowed between the second and third sets.
At 12:30 p.m., the temperature was 90 degrees Fahrenheit (about 32 degrees Celsius), with a forecast high of 92. The humidity is expected to rise through the night.
Roger Federer cited the hot and humid conditions as the reason for his poor play in his fourth-round loss to John Millman on Monday night.
Photo
“Was just one of those nights where I guess I felt I couldn’t get air; there was no circulation at all,” Roger Federer said after his loss on Monday to the Australian veteran John Millman.
Credit
Uli Seit for The New York Times
“Was just one of those nights where I guess I felt I couldn’t get air; there was no circulation at all,” Federer said. “I don’t know, for some reason, I just struggled in the conditions tonight. It’s one of the first times it’s happened to me.”
Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchups
No. 8 Karolina Pliskova vs. No. 17 Serena Williams
Ashe Stadium, 7 p.m.
Pliskova, a finalist at the Open two years ago, has yet to lose a set in this tournament. Her aggressive style of play can force opponents into making errors, especially when she comes to the net behind shots that pull opponents off center. However, she’ll be coming up against a player with a similar style, but of a higher class. Williams’s forehand is among the most powerful shots in the game, and, paired with a serve that is considered to be the greatest in the history of women’s tennis, her pace can overwhelm even the best of players.
No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 9 Dominic Thiem
Ashe Stadium, second night match
Thiem’s victory over Nadal at the Madrid Open earlier this year ended one of the most remarkable streaks in tennis history: Nadal had won 50 straight sets on clay. Nadal got his revenge at the French Open, beating Thiem in straight sets in the final. Clay is certainly the best surface for both of these players, and Thiem’s victory earlier this year should give him belief, but he faces a tough task. The faster the court, the less time Thiem has to wind up his one-handed backhand, and regardless of court, Nadal’s shots arrive in a hurry. DANIEL GENDLER AND MAX GENDLER
Monday’s highlights
• After a few days of relief, the sweltering weather returned to the U.S. Open, and it is expected to continue Tuesday.
• John Millman pulled off the biggest upset of the men’s tournament by ousting second-seeded Roger Federer.
• Naomi Osaka reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time by winning a next-generation duel with her fellow 20-year-old Aryna Sabalenka.
• Madison Keys has efficiently burned through the women’s singles draw without drawing much attention, despite being a finalist at last year’s Open.
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