US Open: Venus Knocked out, Djokovic Through to Q-finals

Karolina Pliskova came from one set down to knock Venus Williams out of the US Open and ended hopes of a Williams’s sister’s semi-final later in the week.
Williams had looked on course for a comfortable straight sets win when she breezed into a one-set lead six games to four.

But Pliskova found a way to combat Venus’ game in the second set, producing two consecutive breaks of serve to force a third and deciding set.

World number 11 Pliskova had three match points on serve to seal the match, but double faulted on the first and went on to lose the game and require a tie-break to progress to the quarter-finals 4-6 6-4 7-6.

Also yesterday, Novak Djokovic moved to a 10th successive US Open quarter final with an entertaining straight sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Britain’s Kyle Edmund.

Edmund often troubled the world number one with his trademark huge forehands but it wasn’t enough to stop the Serb from cruising to a two set lead in dropping only three games.

The third set was a far tighter affair, Edmund hanging in gamely to twice break Djokovic from 2-0 down to move 3-2 ahead.

But the Brit couldn’t quite maintain the high level of intensity against such a good retriever. Djokovic responded to break back twice to seal victory.

He now moves on to face Jo Wilfried Tsonga the man who he beat to lift his first grand slam title in Melbourne.
Tsonga earlier progressed after a 6-3 6-3 6-7(7) 6-2 win against American 26th seed Jack Sock.