British teenager Emma Raducanu extended her dream run at Flushing Meadows with a stunning 6-0, 6-1 win over Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo to race into the U.S. Open last 16 on Saturday.
The 18-year-old Raducanu, who burst onto the scene earlier this year by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in her first Grand Slam appearance, was utterly dominant against Sorribes Tormo, closing out the one-sided match in 70 minutes.
Raducanu, who came to New York ranked 150th in the world, has breezed through all three of her matches without dropping a set and won a hugely impressive 79 per cent of her first-serve points while smashing 23 winners past her hapless opponent.
"I was playing very well, and I know Sara is an extremely tough opponent," Raducanu said in her on-court interview. "I had to work so hard, and there were some really long deuce games that could have gone either way.
"I'm just very glad I was able to maintain it and win in the end. For this one, the plan was I had to hit through her and into the corners. I just took the game to her, and I hit more winners than errors today."
The 24-year-old Sorribes Tormo, the world number 41, had no answer to the youngster's combination of power, guile and court coverage, folding meekly and managing just five winners in the face of Raducanu's relentless onslaught.
The only blemish for the Briton came when serving for the match as nerves got the better of her, and she let a 30-0 lead slip to allow her opponent to get on the scoresheet before sealing the win on Sorribes Tormo's serve in the next game.
Raducanu will play Rogers on Monday after the world number 43 stunned Australian top seed, Ashleigh Barty.
Sakkari reaches fourth round
Greek Maria Sakkari dismantled the defences of twice Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova to win 6-4, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Saturday.
The 17th seed relied on her powerful serve once again, winning all but one of her first-serve points in the opening set and firing off nine aces in the match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
In the second set, her Czech opponent dropped serve in the first game but refused to go quietly, fending off seven break points - including two in the third game to hold - but could not match the power of Sakkari, who struck 13 winners in the set.
"I think my serve was probably my biggest weapon today and of course, playing in front of this crowd was unbelievable," said Sakkari, who lost to Serena Williams in a fourth-round, three-set thriller a year ago in front of empty stands.
"It's always tough to play against Petra because she hits very hard, probably the hardest on the tour," she added. "I'm very pleased with the way I served, the way I returned, and my attitude on the court."
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