Day 7 produced the first pair of quarter-finals at the 2019 US Open. This post features detailed reviews for the first two matches of the day on Louis Armstrong Stadium between Barty and Wang Qiang, and Pliskova and Konta. There’s also media highlights from the day and polls for fourth round matches on day 8. Read on for highlights from Sunday’s action in New York.
Match reviews 🎾
(18) Wang Qiang d. (2) Ash Barty, 6-2 6-4
Wang Qiang scored the biggest win of her career over Ash Barty to reach a first ever Slam quarter-final. This was solid match from Wang Qiang who played with patient aggression and excellent depth. The key stat in this match was break point conversions – Wang Qiang went 3 out of 6, while Barty was 0 for 9. It was curiously similar to Barty’s fourth rounder at the US Open last year against Karolina Pliskova on the same court where she was also went 0 for 8 on break points.
Barty didn’t play the big points well, producing uncharacteristic errors on most of the break points she had. It felt like the break point conversions got into her head at the end. Barty spent a lot of time behind the baseline (partly due to Wang’s depth) and was very erratic off both wings, particularly the backhand slice.
It was clear that Wang Qiang was feeling the nerves at the end but crucially, she landed first serves in play. Barty had multiple chances to break in Wang’s final two service games but let her off the hook with errors. For the third straight Slam, we were one match away from Serena-Ash and it didn’t happen!
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(16) Johanna Konta d. (3) Karolina Pliskova, 6-7(1) 6-3 7-5
Johanna Konta scored a huge win over Karolina Pliskova to complete her set of Slam quarter-finals. It was a good match with an entertaining finish. Konta looked thrilled at the end and seemed to revel in the atmosphere on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The first two sets were topsy-turvy. Konta was the better player in the first set but her inability to convert break points and seal a double break lead cost her as a slow-starting and passive Pliskova found her serve in the nick of time and then played a stunning tiebreak. Pliskova looked to be on her way into the quarter-finals but played an unexpectedly wobbly service game, leading 7-6 *3-2. Konta won the last five games of the second set as she pounced on the Pliskova second serve and began to open the court.
Pliskova’s serve was dynamite in the third set but Konta stayed with her all the way. The Brit played a lights out service game at *4-5 which she opened with the purest of backhand winners down-the-line. Having strolled through the set with just four points dropped in five service games, Pliskova played an absolute shocker at 5-5. Konta dictated all the rallies in the final few games and despite a couple of wild shots, she kept backing herself and served it out on her second match point.
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Best of the rest 🌍
Serena Williams played another high-quality match, beating Petra Martic in straights, 6-4 6-3. There was an injury scare for Serena who rolled her ankle moving forward to the net in the second set. Serena took a medical time-out and looked worried at the time, but she finished off the match convincingly and seemed in good form in the post-match interview.
Elina Svitolina snapped Madison Keys’s winning streak with a 7-5 6-4 win in the night match on Ashe. Svitolina won 36 of 39 points behind her first serve and didn’t face a break point!
Stat watch 🔢
Konta-Pliskova always delivers competitive matches. Of their eight matches, six of them have gone three sets. Konta’s win over Pliskova was just her second ever win over the Czech player. Konta now advances to her third Slam quarter-final in a row and all on different surfaces!
Hot shot of the day 🔥
What a get from Pliskova!
Handshakes and hugs 🤗
A belated H&H from Saturday 😊.
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LOL moment 🤣
Serena’s post-match interview was a fun one.
Favourite snap 📸
Great shot of Serena shared by the US Open Twitter account.
Press highlights 📰
I like Wang Qiang. She spoke briefly about her coach, Peter McNamara, who sadly passed away earlier this summer.
Tomorrow’s OOP ⭐
A pair of polls for Monday’s line-up of last 16 matches with Osaka-Bencic and Vekic-Goerges. Who you got?
Moo's Tennis Blog 
One of the most eventful, drama filled days I can remember at the US Open! Barty just being blown off the court by Wang, Pliskova somehow losing from a set 31 to a player she owns in the h2h, Serena rolling on that ankle after playing SUCH a great match, Svitolina thoroughly destroying Keys, and then Novak Djokovic being booed off the court for retiring with injury!
I really hope Serena’s chances aren’t hurt with that ankle- we’ve seen her lose out in Australia a few times over the years because of it.
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Also Medvedev getting booed by the crowd again. What’s with the crowds there this year?! I read that when Gauff beat Babos and it was announced that she was going to play Osaka next, the crowd booed at Naomi’s name…
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The flushing meadows crowd trying to give the Roland Garros crowd a run for their money.
This is why I think the implications of what Naomi did after beating Coco Gauff( american favourite) shouldn’t be overlooked. After being booed last year as well with Serena, she wins emphatically, but still has the wherewithal of character to invite Gauff to share the winner’s stage with her and tell her story. Speaks volumes about her personality and what she values in competition.
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I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Cori being asked to interview was orchestrated by Naomi’s PR agents as a response to the pre-match booing, but maybe I’m just cynical!
On a side note, Serena, Osaka, Svitolina and Konta all making the quarters puts them in good stead to be in (Or close to) the top ten next week, despite the fact that all four have had pretty abysmal years outside of the Slams! Svitolina get to make a final, Konta has made two but then had a whole host of first round losses, Osaka has been like an imposter on court, and Serena has hardly played a full event!
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Barty upped her play in the second set, but Wang, she could see the finish line. Definitely wasn’t prepared to lose again to Barty. Same goes for Johanna. I really like this about the US open, a little bit of heart and fight, you’re always in it with a chance. I also hope Serena is OK. Hopefully, if anything at all, a few painkillers should hold her up to the end. The QFs, should be good!
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That was one of the best serving performances from Svitolina but Keys ROS was so bad today tbh.
Apart from her serve, she was way too inconsistent in her play today.
That was not nice to watch bc Svitolina also just played to make Keys play awkward instead of taking the iniative but ofc it was the right tactic today.
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I think Svitolina has been right on tactically in every match this week. And she’s been rewarded for it by not having lost a set, despite playing some big time players. I’m starting to get flashbacks to Singapore and wondering whether she might just make the final. Of course, Konta is playing superb right now too, and I wouldn’t count her out. But Svitolina might just fancy her chances against Serena if she makes it to that match…
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This feels like Svitolina’s most convincing Slam run to date? I’m really looking forward to Svitolina-Konta, should be a good one!
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Yeah, I mean I have only actually watched Konta play a little this week, and I missed the third set yesterday because of the Serena match. But Jo will have to be really careful about how she approaches the match. She has a tendency to go for low percentage shots when she’s flustered. Against Svitolina and on these slower courts, she could end up making a LOT of mistakes! Elina isn’t going to give away the free points that Pliskova or Kasatkina gave.
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@Largon, indeed, it is the right strategy against an all out power hitter like Keys. Similar to what Bencic, Putintseva and others have done against Osaka as well this season. Just take care of your end of the business and use their power against them. Even at her very best, I wouldn’t describe Elina as an exciting player but the aim is to win. To that end, I think she’s been mentally astute.
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Fair enough and I agree. Can’t deny I hate this tactic though…
Personally for this reason I can’t cheer for these type of players. For me in general, it’s just diaappointing to see a more talented player taking the iniative to lose.
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I saw somewhere that Elina is the only top 10 player that Jo’s never beaten. Hoping for Jo to win this one though as Elina’s clearly a nice person I won’t be too sad if she does instead.
Glad to see Belinda’s playing well and she could also go far in this tournament.
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Actually Jo has had 21 top ten wins, but is 0-4 against Svitolina!
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I don’t know how much this stat tells the whole story bc Konta retired in one match after dominating the whole match before and one meeting was back in 2013.
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Well they were a set apiece when Konta retired in Brisbane 2018… Elina won their most recent match in straight sets, although it was a period of time where neither player was in form. Not saying Konta doesn’t have a chance, but she’s going to have to watch the unforced errors and try and be patient to do it here.
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