Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova marches on at US Open
Ninth seed Marketa Vondrousova needed just 57 minutes to dismiss Ekaterina Alexandrova and match her best US Open run by reaching the Round of 16.
The Czech earned a 6-2, 6-1 victory Saturday night in Louis Armstrong Stadium to extend her winning streak to 10 at the majors, following her Wimbledon triumph earlier this summer.
In her first US Open night match, Vondrousova set the tone with three unreturned serves to hold from 15-30 in the opening game. While she was broken twice in the opening set, she won all four of her return games to take the opener, capitalizing on a 45% first-serve percentage from Alexandrova, the 22nd seed.
The one-way traffic was even heavier in the second set as Vondrousova raced to a 5-0 lead without little resistance. In a final stand, Alexandrova held for the first time in the match to stay alive and then got to deuce as her opponent attempted to serve out the match.
Vondrousova's fourth unreturned serve of the final game sealed the deal, sending her back to Round 4 in New York for the first time since 2018 (and second time overall).
Vondrousova was a surprise champion at Wimbledon, where she became the first unseeded woman to claim the London title in the Open Era as the World No. 42. Entering New York inside the Top 10, she has handled the increased expectations with ease.
"I'm very happy with my game. It's a lot of pressure," she said of her lofty status.
"I didn't know how it was going to work. I'm really grateful to be here and be healthy again. I'm just really enjoying my time here in New York."
For Alexandrova, her career-best US Open run ends in Round 3. Her best major showing overall came earlier this season at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
Vondrousova already has more tour-level wins this season (35) than in any other in her career.
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