(New York) Iga Swiatek was the defending champion and the player to beat in the United States Open: it was the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko who ended her career on Sunday by eliminating her from the 8^are of final.

This premature defeat will also cost the 22-year-old Pole her place of world No.1 in favor of Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, at the end of the tournament.

“I don’t know what happened, but suddenly I lost all control. I don’t know why I started making so many mistakes. Usually I know what to do in these situations, I feel what I’m doing wrong. This time I don’t understand…my faults were so huge,” Swiatek commented.

Very disappointed with her performances in the Majors on hard courts this year (eliminations in 8^are finals in Australia and New York), as well as the loss of her N.1 status, she said she was “happy” to be able to “spend some time away from the circuit”.

Ostapenko, 21^e world at 26, not only controlled Swiatek’s power, she even outpaced it.

“I knew it would be tough, but I also knew I had to play my game and be aggressive because she doesn’t like it,” commented Ostapenko, who has yet to lose to Swiatek in four games.

The Latvian had won Roland-Garros in 2017, reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2018, the quarter-finals at the Australian Open this year, but had never passed the third round at Flushing Meadows.

She will therefore try on Tuesday to find the last four of a Major for the first time in more than five years. To do this, she will compete against the American nugget Coco Gauff (6^e).

Because the latter, aged 19, ended the career of the comeback Caroline Wozniacki (33) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, but it was not easy.

“As she hands over all the balls, you have to be mentally strong and know how to seize your chances,” said the American who lost in the quarterfinals in New York last year.

Winning return

Former world No.1, Wozniacki retired after being eliminated in the third round of the Australian Open in 2020. After three and a half years during which she married and gave birth to two children, she announced in his return to the circuit last June.

The other quarter-final at the top of the table will oppose the Czech Karolina Muchova (10^e), finalist of the last Roland-Garros, to the Romanian Sorana Cirstea (30^e) who respectively beat the Chinese Xinyu Wang (53^e), 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic (13^e), 6-3, 6-3.

In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic continues his journey to a 24^e Grand Slam title: the Serb quietly eliminated Croatian Borna Gojo (105^e and from qualifying) 6-2, 7-5, 6-4.

“We had never faced each other on the main circuit, but I watched his games in qualifying and this week and I could see he was physical and hitting hard. I had to neutralize his serve, ”analyzed Djokovic.

Shelton’s Revenge

For his thirteenth quarter-final at Flushing Meadows, like Andre Agassi and Roger Federer, but still four lengths behind Ivan Lendl, he will face one of the three Americans still in the quarter-finals, Taylor Fritz (9^e).

The latter stopped the Swiss from qualifying Dominik Stricker (128^e) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-4.

At 25, he will play the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the second time in his career after Wimbledon in 2022. He had never passed the third round in his national Major in seven appearances.

The other two Americans, Frances Tiafoe, semi-finalist last year, and Ben Shelton will compete for a place in the last four.

Shelton (47^e) beat compatriot Tommy Paul (14^e) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

The young American hopeful (20 years old) signs his second Grand Slam quarter for his first full year on the ATP circuit, after the Australian Open in January, where he had just been eliminated by Paul.

In Australia, “I learned how to be strong mentally,” he explained after his victory. He said he now has “faith” in his ability to win games and go far in major tournaments.

Tiafoe (10^e), he logically beat the Australian Rinky Hijikata (110^e) 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.