Osaka, Eala, Keys Advance as Auger-Aliassime Crashes Out

Alexandra Eala, Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys all advanced to the third round of the women’s singles at the US Open, while Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a shock exit in the men’s draw. Auger-Aliassime, the No. 3 seed, became the highest-seeded player eliminated from the tournament so far, following fourth seed Novak Djokovic’s first-round elimination earlier in the week.

After his match, Auger-Aliassime revealed he had felt dizzy and was seeing spots, struggling to recover as he fell to Karen Khachanov 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. He said: “Karen is a great player. Look, I cannot beat him or anybody in this draw feeling the way I felt today. If I cannot move, we’re not talking about tennis here.”

Meanwhile, Osaka recovered from a mid-match lapse to advance with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Katerina Siniakova on Thursday, while Eala beat Oleksandra Oliynykova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. Osaka arrived at Arthur Ashe Stadium wearing silver and white beneath a long white jacket, paired with a white visor.

The No. 13 seed won the first set in just 30 minutes and built a 4-2 lead in the second, before her level dipped noticeably, committing 20 unforced errors during that set. She quickly regained composure in the third set, breaking early for a 2-0 lead and later finishing a thrilling 19-shot rally with a decisive volley winner to seal the momentum in her favour.

Keys, the 2017 runner-up, also came close to an early exit before fighting back, erasing five match points to edge past Anna Bondar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-5). Reflecting on the dramatic comeback afterwards, Keys joked to the crowd: “That was something, huh? No stress, though, we all knew I had it right?”

With several top seeds already eliminated, this year’s US Open continues to produce dramatic upsets and gripping comebacks in equal measure.

Which player’s performance so far do you think has been the most impressive at this year’s US Open?