NEW YORK — Top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek continued to blaze a trail through the US Open draws on Monday, easing into the quarterfinals of a tournament marked by almost daily upsets with a minimum of fuss.
Mr. Sinner disappointed a partisan crowd with a 7-6(3) 7-6(5) 6-1 win over Tommy Paul in an entertaining fourth-round tie after Ms. Swiatek had beaten Liudmila Samsonova 6-4 6-1 in a more muted atmosphere on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium showcourt.
Italian Mr. Sinner barely got a look at Mr. Paul’s serve until the third set but produced his best tennis when it mattered to subdue the effervescent American and move on to a mouth-watering last-eight meeting with 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev.
Russian Mr. Medvedev had earlier brushed aside a delay caused by a fire alarm in the building where the Hawkeye line-calling system is housed to pummel Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-0 6-1 6-3.
Like Mr. Medvedev, Ms. Swiatek is the only former singles champion left in her draw and the Pole hit her impressive stride in a comfortable win over Ms. Samsonova before warning she was only going to improve. American fans on Arthur Ashe earlier did have a success to cheer on their Labor Day holiday as Jessica Pegula efficiently disposed of Diana Shnaider 6-4 6-2 to reach the last eight without dropping a set.
The sixth seed, who missed the French Open due to injury but triumphed at a US Open tune-up event in Canada last month, said she felt her game was trending in the right direction. Ms. Pegula has reached the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams but never gone further and her path to the semis this week is blocked by the imposing figure of world number one Ms. Swiatek.
The only minor surprise on the eighth day of the championships came when Karolina Muchova, a semifinalist here last year, ousted Italian fifth seed Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-3.
Unseeded after surgery on a wrist injury sustained at last year’s US Open sidelined her for 10 months, the Czech showed her quality to outclass Ms. Paolini, who had reached the finals at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.
Ms. Muchova will next face Beatriz Haddad Maia after the Brazilian produced 40 winners to send former world number one Caroline Wozniacki packing 6-2 3-6 6-3. — Reuters
