Mon. May 20th, 2024
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Cameron Norrie in action
Cameron Norrie reached the fourth round of the US Open last season
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 August-10 September
Coverage: Daily live text and radio commentaries across the BBC Sport website, app, BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra

Katie Boulter, Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie reached the US Open third round after winning on another action-packed day for the British contingent.

Boulter, who is Britain’s top women’s player, maintained confidence and composure to fight back against China’s Wang Yafan in a 5-7 6-1 6-4 win.

Draper put his injury problems behind him with a statement 6-2 6-4 7-5 win over Polish 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz.

British men’s number one Norrie won 7-5 6-4 6-4 against qualifier Hsu Yu-hsiou.

Dan Evans is the final Briton in singles action on day four in New York when he meets Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

He could become the fourth player from the nation to reach the last 32, with Andy Murray and Jodie Burrage being eliminated earlier on Thursday.

Former world number one Murray lost 6-3 6-4 6-1 to Grigor Dimitrov, while Burrage – who was in the main draw at Flushing Meadows for the first time – was beaten 6-3 6-2 by Belarusian world number two Aryna Sabalenka.

Boulter proud after ‘digging deep’ to reach third round

Reaching the US Open third round for the first time is the latest success for 27-year-old Boulter in a stellar season.

It has taken her time to rebuild confidence and regain her ranking since dropping out of the world’s top 100 as a result of a back injury which derailed her career in 2019.

But she has climbed to a career-high ranking this year on the back of winning her first WTA title in Nottingham and reaching the Wimbledon third round.

Now she has matched her Wimbledon performance at the hard-court Grand Slam in New York, having never previously won a main-draw match there.

“I’m super happy, I’m really proud of myself. I had to dig really deep,” world number 61 Boulter said.

“I had to battle and go for it at the same time. Tactically, I was trying to be very aggressive, I got a bit tight in the first set and managed to loosen up in the second.

“I found ways to win points and it made it a little bit easier for me.”

Like in her opening win against France’s Diane Parry, Boulter took time to find her rhythm and range against qualifier Wang.

Wang, 29, took a break from the sport last year but has returned with renewed vigour and came into the match on an 11-match winning streak.

Beating French seventh seed Caroline Garcia in the first round further demonstrated her pedigree, but the Briton quickly started to get on top in the first set.

Boulter was unable to take three set points on Wang’s serve at 5-4 and paid the price as her opponent swung the opener her way.

But the Briton responded in style. Finding some bigger hitting, she broke serve three times to quickly level and finished the stronger in a tight decider.

Boulter’s reward is a meeting with American world number 59 Peyton Stearns on Saturday.

Impressive Draper puts injuries ‘out of his mind’

Jack Draper celebrates against Hubert Hurkacz
Jack Draper has reached the US Open third round for the second successive year

With his easy power from the baseline, 21-year-old Draper is a hugely exciting talent but his progress has continued to be stalled by a series of injuries.

A small muscle tear in his shoulder ruled him out of Wimbledon and, after a similar problem at the recent Winston-Salem Open, feared it could stop him playing at Flushing Meadows.

But after what he described as a “mentally-challenging” year, Draper is trying to put the problem “out of his mind” in New York.

He responded with another strong performance against Hurkacz, putting plenty of returns into play and drawing errors from his opponent.

Draper broke Hurkacz’s usually-reliable serve twice in the first set, doing the same in the second as it became increasingly apparent the Pole was struggling physically.

Slumped on his chair during a changeover in the third set, Hurkacz called to see the doctor and it looked as though he might have to retire.

The former Wimbledon semi-finalist gamely battled on, playing what Draper said was “some of his best tennis”, and the British number five focused purely on his own side of the court to seal his progress.

Draper will play American wildcard Michael Mmoh, whose win ended the career of the retiring John Isner, in the third round.

Norrie wins big points to cruise through

Norrie started slowly against world number 237 Hsu, who failed to convert four set points when 5-4 up in the opening set.

The British number one recovered, winning six games on the bounce to take the first set and grab an early break in the second.

The 28-year-old never looked back, edging the last two sets to set up a third-round meeting with Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi.

“Honestly, he should have won that first set but I was able to take the momentum into the second set,” Norrie told court 11.

“Towards the end it was quite difficult with the sun coming down. I was really happy with how I played the big points and I am happy to be through.”

Norrie saved 15 of Hsu’s break points and converted six of his 13 as his experience shone. The Briton is into the last 32 at Flushing Meadows for the third time, having achieved his best run by reaching the fourth round last year.

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