Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani moved on to the Round of 16 in the women’s doubles competition at the U.S. Open, achieving a victory of 6-2, 7-5 against Italy’s Sara Errani and Austria’s Lilli Tagger on Saturday in New York.
The second-seeded Dabrowski, hailing from Ottawa, and Stefani converted five out of their eight break point opportunities. They also successfully saved four of the six break points faced from Errani and Tagger.
The entire match lasted one hour and 27 minutes.
Dabrowski, who has won the U.S. Open doubles title twice (2023, 2025), and Stefani are set to compete against Japan’s Eri Hozumi and Slovenia’s Andreja Klepac, who progressed after defeating American Asia Muhammad and Hungary’s Fanny Stoller.
<pEarlier, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, and Indonesia's Janice Tjen were eliminated by New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Indonesia's Aldila Sutjiadi with a score of 6-4, 6-4 during the second round.
Fernandez and Tjen managed to convert only one of their six break points, while the ninth-seeded duo of Routliffe and Sutjiadi capitalized on three out of five break point chances.
Additionally, Fernandez was ousted in the third round of the women’s singles by third-seeded American Jessica Pegula on Friday.
Zverev maintains title aspirations
Alexander Zverev kept his dreams of capturing a second Grand Slam title alive with a straightforward victory over Alejandro Tabilo, while Coco Gauff showcased her strength by reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open as several fellow American players faced elimination on Saturday.
Naomi Osaka triumphed over a mental and physical challenge to defeat Belgium’s Elise Mertens in a three-set match held at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Two promising young talents in the women’s division and close friends off the court, American Iva Jovic and Filipina Alexandra Eala, delivered an exciting performance as Jovic narrowly defeated Eala in a thrilling encounter at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After two consecutive five-set matches, top seed Zverev enjoyed a relatively easier evening, overcoming a brief mid-match slump to win against Tabilo 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-2.
“Today was definitely an improvement compared to the last few days. I believe I made significant progress from the baseline,” Zverev commented.
“I wasn’t satisfied with my second set. I lost a bit of focus, particularly at the end of that set. My movement and play weren’t as sharp. However, I think the first and third sets showed marked improvement compared to earlier matches. I’ll focus on that.”
Osaka defeats Mertens
Japanese 13th seed Osaka, a two-time U.S. Open champion, faced a challenge after allowing a one-set and break advantage to slip but managed to overcome an Achilles issue to defeat Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
The match became a test of Osaka’s resilience and composure, as the 28-year-old displayed visible frustration before regaining control in the deciding set.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel like I played exceptionally well, and it was really affecting my mood; I was quite negative towards myself, and I apologize for my behavior,” an emotional Osaka expressed.
Jovic, 18, and Eala, 21, exchanged momentum throughout a match that extended over three hours, with Jovic ultimately winning 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. The 14th seed Jovic is set to face fellow American and crowd favorite Gauff next.
Fourth seed Gauff earlier provided a bright spot for local fans by defeating Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-4, as the 2023 champion aims for her third Grand Slam title.
Second seed Elena Rybakina continued her pursuit of a third major title and the top position in the WTA rankings, advancing with a win of 7-6(6), 6-3 over Yuliia Starodubtseva.
The Australian Open champion Rybakina avenged her second-round defeat to the Ukrainian at the French Open and will face Osaka for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Iga Swiatek, the 2022 champion, triumphed over Marie Bouzkova 7-6(3), 7-6(3), while French Open champion Mirra Andreeva progressed after defeating Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 7-6(5).
Americans suffer setbacks
The day began with a series of disappointing exits for American players.
Former U.S. Open finalists Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys, and Amanda Anisimova all faced elimination in the third round, delivering a harsh blow to local fans at Flushing Meadows.
Ninth seed Fritz, who had not lost a set in New York, appeared on track for another straightforward victory until Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo turned the tide to win 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
This marked Fritz’s earliest exit in four years as the 2024 runner-up, with Cerundolo set to face Belgium’s Alexander Blockx, who surprised fifth seed Flavio Cobolli with a score of 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.
The American women faced similar disappointments, as China’s Zheng Qinwen rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the decisive set to defeat 2017 runner-up Keys 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 in the Grandstand, collapsing to the court in pure joy as she recovers from a career slump.
The Olympic champion reached the quarter-finals for the second consecutive time only two years ago but had to go through qualifying this year due to a chronic right elbow injury that hindered her progress.
Last year’s runner-up and 10th seed Anisimova could not improve her fortunes in a challenging year at the majors, losing 6-2, 7-5 to Anastasia Potapova.
Young American wildcard Michael Zheng also fell short, unable to complete a comeback against Frenchman Arthur Gea in a match that ended 7-6(7), 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Gea became only the second lucky loser to reach the fourth round, following his compatriot Corentin Moutet in 2022.
The day concluded on a positive note for the home crowd, who cheered Learner Tien to a hard-fought victory of 6-3, 1-6, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 over Czech Jakub Mensik.