US Open Day 5 Women’s Recap: Gauff, Swiatek, Osaka in Action

Naomi Osaka played superbly from the start against Hailey Baptiste. The two-time US Open winner, who reached the National Bank Open final in preparation for the season’s final Grand Slam, dominated her opponent from the baseline. Baptiste did not lack effort or spirit, but could not handle Osaka’s power.

Anna Kalinskaya competently dealt with the threat from Yulia Putintseva on Court 12. She triumphed 6-1 7-5, holding off a courageous rallying effort from the Kazakhstani in the second set. The conditions suit Kalinskaya’s game perfectly, and she could be a dark horse for a very deep run at Flushing Meadows.

Who Looked Bad

Ashlyn Krueger spectacularly collapsed against Jaqueline Cristian. The big-serving 21-year-old was in a good position after taking the first set 4-6. Instead of building on that, she lost the final two sets 2-6 2-6, and never came close to competing in either of them. Cristian’s first-round thrashing of Danielle Collins means she has defeated two Americans at the US Open.

Anna Bondar could not back up her upset against Elina Svitolina. Maria Sakkari produced a classy performance to prevail 6-3 6-1. However, Bondar also made life easy for the Greek by repeatedly dropping the ball short in the court. That consistently allowed Sakkari to utilize her forehand to devastating impact.

Xinyu Wang, who defeated Coco Gauff earlier this season, massively underperformed against Ekaterina Alexandrova. A match expected to be close ended in a swift and easy 6-2 6-2 victory for Alexandrova. Wang’s powerful groundstrokes, the bedrock of her game, were wayward throughout.

Match of the day

Several thrilling three-set battles occurred on Day 5. Karolina Muchova, Daria Kasatkina, and Marta Kostyuk all triumphed in close matches. Diane Parry’s 6-2 2-6 7-6 win against Renata Zarazua was the closest of the contests played, and the Frenchwoman did phenomenally to hold her nerve in front of many loud and passionate Mexican fans supporting Zarazua on Court 5.

Iga Swiatek and Suzan Lamens’s encounter was the best because of the quality produced by both women. Despite the six-time Grand Slam champion taking the opening set 6-1, Lamens played well. She probably would have won multiple games against any other player, but Swiatek hit several incredible shots.

Rather than being deflated by her efforts not being rewarded, Lamens performed even better in the second. The pair traded multiple superb baseline strikes in the opening seven games, with Swiatek leading 4-3 at that stage. In the last three games of the set, the Pole’s level dropped for the first time, and Lamens took advantage to win the set 6-4 and force a decider.

Swiatek responded with some blistering shot-making to go 4-1 up in the third set. Lamens still refused to wilt, and claimed two consecutive games to make it 4-3. Ultimately, the former world No. 1 showed enough quality to hold off the Dutchwoman and triumph 6-1 4-6 6-4. If Lamens plays like this match more regularly, she can get near the top.