The Latest on the U.S Open tennis tournament (all times local):
1:50 p.m.
Roger Federer won in straight sets for the first time in this year’s U.S. Open, downing Daniel Evans 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the round of 16.
Federer, the No. 3 seed and five-time champion at Flushing Meadows, dropped the first set in his previous two rounds but that was not an issue against the 58th-ranked Evans. Federer blasted 48 winners and served up 10 aces en route to the victory, his 18th straight third-round win at the Open.
Next up for Federer is the winner of the match later Friday between 15th-seeded David Goffin and Pablo Carreno Busta.
———
1:25 p.m.
Third-seeded Karolina Pliskova overcame her emotions and an inspired opponent to advance to the U.S. Open round of 16, downing Ons Jabeur 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
Pliskova, a former No. 1 who reached the final at Flushing Meadows in 2016, won despite looking out of synch for much of the match. After Jabeur took treatment on her right knee at the end of the first set and began winning in the second, Pliskova smashed her racket in frustration, earning a warning from the chair umpire.
But Pliskova relied on a strong serve game to get it back on track. And Jabeur, a Tunisian who had been seeking to become the first Arab woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament, faltered down the stretch. Though she cracked 49 winners, she also had 43 unforced errors, 17 of them in the final set.
Next up for Pliskova is the winner of the match later Friday between No. 16 Johanna Konta and No. 33 Zhang Shuai.
———
11:30 a.m.
Play has begun at the U.S. Open, with third-seeded Karolina Pliskova and seventh-seeded Kei Nishikori taking the courts under sunny skies and no rain in the forecast.
Pliskova’s third-round match against Ons Jabeur and Nishikori’s against Alex de Minaur kick off a dayside slate. Other day matches include third-seeded Roger Federer in Arthur Ashe Stadium against Daniel Evans, followed by No. 8 Serena Williams against Karolina Muchova.
At night, top-seeded Novak Djokovic continues his title defense against American Denis Kudla.
Because rain postponements this week forced a packed makeup schedule, 11 men and 11 women are playing back-to-back matches Thursday and Friday.
———
10 a.m.
Roger Federer is looking for a fast start. Novak Djokovic wants a quick heal.
The former champions will be in action Friday for their third-round matches at the U.S. Open.
Federer has dropped the opening set in his first two matches for the first time in his 19 appearances in Flushing Meadows. No man has done that and gone on to win the tournament, so the five-time champion has history against him as he seeks a 21st Grand Slam title, which would extend his men’s record.
The No. 3 seed plays Daniel Evans in the opening match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and Serena Williams follows. Djokovic faces Denis Kudla at night, hoping the sore left shoulder that required treatment in the second round is better as he continues his title defense.
———
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports