Brady outclassed by Pliskova
Originally published on 04/09/17 00:00
The Czech stormed into the quarter-finals of the US Open for a second consecutive year after a thumping 6-1 6-0 win over Jennifer Brady in just 46 minutes.
Pliskova was below par throughout the first week however surviving an almighty scare against Shuai Zhang – saving a match-point in the process – appears to have jolted her into life.
The Czech smothered her inexperienced American opponent with her thunderous groundstrokes and meaty serve. Brady, in her first every outing on Arthur Ashe, never settled and she failed to produce anything like the form that saw her thrash No.23 seed, Barbora Strycova, In the second round.
“After the last match, where I was down match-point, I just wanted to play a little bit better,” said Pliskova. “The last match helped me go through tough moments and today it was much better.
“I think she was a little bit nervous [Brady}. It was her first time on Ashe so that’s normal. I just wanted to take advantage of that and it’s my fourth match on this court, so hopefully I will be on it for my next match as well.
Up next for the Czech is CoCo Vandeweghe. The 25-year-old made sure there would be three American representatives in the last eight for the first time since 2004 after a hard-earned 6-4 7-6 (2) success over Lucie Safarova.
Kaia Kanepi’s extraordinary run in New York continues as she blasted her way past Daria Kasatkina 6-4 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in five years.
The Estonian, ranked No.418 in the world, was absent from the WTA Tour for two years due to injuries but she returned to action in June and has quickly hit her stride.
The 32-year-old had to battle through qualifying just to take her place in the main draw, and her venomous forehand is predominantly why she has prospered in the Big Apple.
“It’s very tough to believe where I am right now compared to where I was a few months ago. I didn’t expect this,” admitted Kanepi. “I stayed aggressive today, and that was what helped me the most.”
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