Protesters seal the US Open headlines as the heat keeps rising

By Sports Desk September 08, 2023

Coco Gauff reached her first US Open final but her achievement was overshadowed by environmental protesters who forced her last-four match against Karolina Muchova to be suspended for more than 45 minutes.

Aryna Sabalenka then denied the New York crowd an all-American final by beating Madison Keys in a third-set tie-break.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at day 11 at the US Open.

Pic of the day

Match of the day

Once the protest ended and a tennis match broke out again, Gauff completed a 6-4 7-5 victory. It was not a classic until the last four games of the second set, which were as dramatic as we have seen all fortnight.

Shot of the day

Heatstroke, not groundstroke

Once again the temperature at Flushing Meadows hit 35C, with the humidity making it feel even hotter. French doubles player Nicolas Mahut had to briefly stop playing as he felt dizzy and Rajeev Ram had to snack on some sushi mid-match.

Quote of the day

Brit watch

Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram are back in the final after beating Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in three sets.

Salisbury and Ram are looking for an unprecedented third consecutive men’s doubles crown at Flushing Meadows.

Their 7-5 3-6 6-3 win, in two-and-a-quarter hours, was a 17th successive victory in New York for the pair, who face India’s Rohan Bopanna and Australian Matthew Ebden in Friday’s final.

There was disappointment for rising British star Hannah Klugman in the juniors event.

The 14-year-old needed a medical time-out after the first set in her quarter-final against Laura Samsonova and eventually retired injured at 6-0 3-0 down.

There were wins in the wheelchair singles for Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, but Lucy Shuker won only two games against 11th seed Diede De Groot of the Netherlands.

Fallen seeds

Karolina Muchova (10), Madison Keys (17)

Who’s up next?

The men’s semi-finals begin with Novak Djokovic, chasing a 24th grand slam title, taking on big-serving 20-year-old American Ben Shelton.

Then, in the night session, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, also 20, faces third seed Daniil Medvedev.

Salisbury and Ram’s final kicks off the action at midday (5pm UK time).

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    "I’ll just try to get back to 100 per cent as soon as possible, hopefully trying to play in Paris and then Wimbledon and all the rest.

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    In the top half of the draw, Djokovic will take on either Roman Safiullin or a qualifier in his first competitive appearance since Monte Carlo.

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  • 'It can only get better' - Sabalenka leaving Madrid Open 'with positive thoughts' despite Swiatek defeat 'It can only get better' - Sabalenka leaving Madrid Open 'with positive thoughts' despite Swiatek defeat

    Aryna Sabalenka is encouraged by her run to the Madrid Open final and feels her performance levels "can only get better", despite defeat by Iga Swiatek.

    In a repeat of last year's showpiece, the world number two went down 7-5 4-6 7-6 (9-7) in a thrilling encounter with the Pole, who avenged her loss from 12 months ago. 

    Sabalenka, who saw three championship points go begging, narrowly missed out on becoming only the second woman to win three titles in Madrid after Petra Kvitova. 

    Nevertheless, the reigning Australian Open champion reached her first final since triumphing in Melbourne, while extending her winning streak in the Spanish capital to 11 matches before defeat to the world number one.

    "I really want to see many more finals against [Swiatek]. I want to see more wins than losses," she said. "But I really hope that we'll be able to keep the level or increase the level every year.

    "I'm happy with the level I played, with the effort I put into this match and into this week. I'm leaving Madrid with positive thoughts.

    "Probably when I broke [Swiatek] in the third set, I should have been more focused on my serve. But at the same time, it's not like I double-faulted; she played great tennis, and she broke me back.

    "I think after the Australian Open, I struggled for a couple of months. It's been intense. I'm super happy that, here in Madrid, I was able to bring it all together and be able to get back to my level. It can only get better from now on."

    Swiatek was not to be denied a third title of the season - a tally only matched by Elena Rybakina - and she has now won each of her last seven WTA Tour-level finals since losing out to Sabalenka in Madrid last year.

    The three-time French Open champion has also now triumphed in every European clay court tournament at WTA 500 level or higher.

    "When I look back in maybe a few years, it will mean a lot," the Pole said. "But for now, I'm just happy that I won this tournament anyway. It doesn't matter to me if I won it before or not. I try to win each tournament that I play.

    "I think it was more about who was going to be less stressed and who was going to be able to play with more freedom.

    "For most of the match, I felt like some decisions [from her] were pretty courageous. I was sometimes a little bit back. So, in the end, I just wanted not to do that and to also be courageous.

    "I don't know what made a difference. I think we both deserved to win; I think it was only about those little points in the tiebreaker."

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