adminNEW YORK — Baking heat, rain and the threat of lightning all forced stoppages in play at the US Open tennis tournament on Sunday but Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki marched on through a day of wild weather and upsets.Former world number one Wozniacki had her fourth round match with Maria Sharapova halted briefly by the heat rule but it was the fifth-seeded French Open champion who wilted under a blazing sun, falling 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
Later, rain interrupted Federer’s clash with Marcel Granollers before the five-time US Open champion came back from a set down to crush the Spaniard 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 and storm into the fourth round.
Gilles Simon and Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer sweated it out under a midday sun, the 26th seeded Frenchman posting the first big surprise in the men’s draw with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 win. A stormy day finished off with another upset on Arthur Ashe Stadium court as 17-year-old Swiss sensation Belinda Bencic swept past ninth-seeded Serb and former world number one Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (6), 6-3.
“It was always a dream to play on this court,” said Bencic, who is coached by Martina Hingis’ mother Melanie Molitor.
“I watched it as a kid and I always dreamt about playing here.”
Next up for Bencic is another giant-killer in China’s Peng Shuai. The doubles specialist eased into the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 win over 14th-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova.
The departures of Sharapova and Jankovic leave only world number one Serena Williams, Canadian seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard and Wozniacki as the surviving members of the women’s top 10. — AFP.
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