France’s Caroline Garcia produced the biggest upset of the US Open on Wednesday, sending top seed Karolina Pliskova tumbling out of the to...
France’s Caroline Garcia produced the biggest upset of the US Open on Wednesday, sending top seed Karolina Pliskova tumbling out of the tournament.
Garcia, the world number 50, scored one of the biggest wins of her career with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) second-round victory at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The 26-year-old’s 1hr 33min victory sends her into a third round meeting on Friday with American 28th seed Jennifer Brady.
If she can reproduce Wednesday’s polished performance, Garcia will fancy her chances of extending her run at Flushing Meadows.
Garcia – whose talent propelled her to fourth in the world rankings in September 2018 before a protracted slump sent her sliding down the standings in 2019 – attacked Pliskova from the outset.
Garcia raced into a 5-0 lead after scoring two early service breaks before taking the first set.
Although Pliskova improved in the second, she was unable to find the crucial service break when it mattered, and was unable to convert a set point in the second to level the match.
In the tie break, Garcia raced into a 6-2 lead and then completed victory when Pliskova hit a return into the net.
While Pliskova fell by the wayside, there were no such problems for fourth seed Naomi Osaka of Japan, the 2018 champion.
The fourth seed Osaka needed only 1hr...
