Germany’s Andrea Petkovic upset sixth seed Petra Kvitova to move into the third round of the US Open and scored back-to-back main draw victories for only the second time this year, while defending champion Naomi Osaka continued to progress through the draw by ending a nine-match winning streak of Magda Linette.
The 29-year-old Kvitova has been struggling with a forearm injury that has bothered her since the clay season. After skipping Roland Garros, the 2019 Australian Open runner-up reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and then played just one match in the US Open lead-up period.
In today’s encounter with Kvitova, the world No.88 Petkovic recorded a break in the tenth game en route to taking the first set and then recovered from 1-3 in the second set to clinch a 6-4 6-4 victory in one hour and 35 minutes. The match point was a perfect depiction of Petkovic’s determination, as the German got every extra ball back from her opponent and it was well worth it.
Supported by sports celebrities Colin Kaepernick and Kobe Bryant, Naomi Osaka was never in serious trouble against Magda Linette, who arrived to the US Open on the wings of her maiden WTA title at the Bronx Open and career-high ranking of No.53. Moreover, the Pole had won the pair’s only previous meeting on the US hardcourts, in Washington DC last year.
After being extremely nervous in her grueling opener at Flushing Meadows, Osaka was calm and collected during her Thursday’s 6-2 6-4 victory and looked strong despite wearing a brace on her left knee. In her second match at the season’s final Grand Slam, the reigning champion introduced a black-and-white version of her special Nike x Sacai outfit.
