U.S. Open 2025: Swiatek breezes past Alexandrova; Venus-Leylah pair advances in women’s doubles
U.S. Open 2025: Swiatek breezes past Alexandrova; Venus-Leylah pair advances in women’s doubles
A laser-focused Iga Swiatek barely broke a sweat as the former U.S. Open champion methodically dismantled Russian 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1 and booked her return to the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam on Monday.
The 24-year-old’s crushing win on Louis Armstrong Stadium meant that she became the youngest woman to reach at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams in a single season since 18-year-old Maria Sharapova managed the feat in 2005.
Swiatek was typing away furiously on her phone as she waited for her on-court interview afterwards, and said she was sending a message to her coach, Wim Fissette.
“I asked him to book a practice court for 10 minutes, if possible,” the world number two said, before she explained what worked well in helping her reach her 13th major quarterfinal.
“I would say the intensity and focus. In the beginning, I felt like she played fast, and the court was different. I wanted to find my rhythm afterwards, and I was in my bubble. I forced the ball to go in. I’m happy with the quality,” she added.
After an early exchange of breaks, Swiatek pounced again in the seventh game when Alexandrova’s attempt at a cheeky shot at the net misfired and allowed the 2022 New York champion to bag the opening set shortly afterwards.
Six-times major winner Swiatek never looked back from there as she took control of the second set to see off Alexandrova and continue her bid to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2012 to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the same year.
That double success would prove remarkable for a player long considered a claycourt specialist after four French Open wins.
Serena Williams may not be playing the U.S. Open anymore, but her presence still loomed large on Monday, with Venus Williams revealing her younger sister has been coaching from afar as she and Leylah Fernandez surged into the doubles quarter-finals.
Wildcards Venus and Fernandez claimed a 6-3, 6-4 win over 12th seeds Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai, as the American secured her first major doubles quarter-final since 2016 and another chapter in the unlikely run of the 45-year-old and her 22-year-old Canadian partner.
It was a night that blended nostalgia with fresh energy, as Venus, who has won 14 doubles majors alongside Serena, now crafts a new story with Fernandez’s youthful spark, even jokingly asking for her sister’s presence at Flushing Meadows.
Williams and Fernandez continue their fairytale run and will next face top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, who lost in a marathon singles match after missing eight match points on Sunday.
Published on Sep 02, 2025
