Serena, Murray out as Djokovic, Osaka, Medvedev advance

FE Team | Published: August 26, 2020 23:28:25

Novak Djokovic reacting after defeating Tennys Sandgren during the Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Tuesday — Reuters

NEW YORK, Aug 26 (AFP): An out-of-gas Serena Williams crashed out of the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday, losing in three sets to 13th seeded Maria Sakkari 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 in New York.
Sakkari, of Greece, advances to the quarter-finals of the no-spectatorevent where she will face Johanna Konta who cruised past Vera Zvonareva in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
The joint WTA and ATP tournament was moved from Cincinnati to New York where the same quarantine bubble will house the US Open starting on August 31.
On the men's side, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic won his 20th straight match of 2020 with a hard-fought 6-2, 6-4 victory over TennysSandgren.
Djokovic, who captured the Australian Open in February, needed six match points to tough out the straight sets victory and reach the quarter-finals of the hardcourt tournament.
Djokovic breezed through the final game by winning four straight points, closing it out with a cross-court forehand winner to take it in 88 minutes on Tuesday.
Also on the men's side, hard-serving Canadian Milos Raonic routed Brit Andy Murray 6-2, 6-2 and third seeded Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, swept past AljazBedene 6-3, 6-3.
In other women's action, fourth seeded Naomi Osaka rolled over DayanaYastremska in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 to advance.