Anastasija Sevastova, of Latvia, returns a shot to Kateryna Bondarenko, of Ukraine, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (The Associated Press)
NEW YORK – The Latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):
12:35 p.m.
Anastasija Sevastova has followed up her upset of Garbine Muguruza by equaling her best performance at a Grand Slam.
About 38 hours after she stunned the French Open champ, the 48th-ranked Sevastova swept past No. 59 Kateryna Bondarenko 6-4, 6-1 on Friday to reach the round of 16 at the U.S. Open. The Latvian also made it that far at the 2011 Australian Open, but in May 2013, she retired after a series of injuries.
Sevastova returned to tennis at the start of last season, and at this year's Australian Open, she played her first major since 2011. She reached the second round at Melbourne and Roland Garros then lost her first match at Wimbledon as she steadily climbed back up the rankings.
Bondarenko was a U.S. Open quarterfinalist in 2009 but hasn't been past the third round at a Grand Slam since.
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11 a.m.
Three past champions are on the U.S. Open lineup Friday, with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Marin Cilic all seeking to move on to the round of 16.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic, who experienced problems with his right arm in the first round and didn't have to play in the second when his opponent withdrew with an injury, takes on 61st-ranked Mikhail Youzhny in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
No. 4-seeded Nadal faces Youzhny's doubles partner, Andrey Kuznetsov, on Ashe at night, while No. 7 Cilic plays No. 26 Jack Sock of the United States in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
On the women's side in Ashe, second-seeded Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champ, faces 17-year-old American qualifier CiCi Bellis. And former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki — down to No. 74 in the rankings thanks to injury issues and early exits at tournaments — takes on No. 58 Monica Niculescu.
Weather should not be a factor, with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s.
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