US Open upsets

'Eala will have to wait for another chance.' SOME sports tournaments in which competitors advance through stages are scheduled in such a way that the best players do not face each other in the early rounds. As such, the top entry may face the lowest-ranked ones. Usually, they are expected to breeze through what could be called easy assignments. Things can happen, though, to alter the equation and the outcome. The favorite may be having a bad day, an illness, or an injury. Or perhaps the underdog may have prepared in all departments extremely well. Or, if you are superstitious, one is enjoying a lucky day as against another's misfortune. Yesterday, Filipinos were hoping that Alex Eala would overcome the odds and advance past three-time tormentor Iva Jovic, the 14th seed. It would have been spectacular had she accomplished her first victory against the 18-year-old American in a Grand Slam tournament like the US Open and improved her personal best, just three more victorious matches away from what could have been the biggest win so far. Instead, Jovic reasserted her dominance, although in three sets. Eala will have to wait for another chance. Late Saturday evening, two seeded American players, No. 10 Amanda Anisimova and No. 22 Madison Keys, fell in third-round action to No. 24 Anastasia Potapova of Austria and unseeded Qinwen Zheng (but was world No. 4 last year) of China, respectively. Saturday produced four upsets as No. 7 Karolína Muchová of Czechia became the highest seed to exit the tournament, losing in the third round to 26th seed Emma Navarro of the US. Also losing that same day were No. 9 Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) to No. 21 Anna Kalinskaya (Russia), and No. 15 Diana Shnaider (Russia) to Taylor Townsend (US). Earlier, 12th seed Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) lost to Yulia Putintseva (Russia), No. 27 Barbora Krejčíková (Czechia) to Kamilla Rakhimova (Uzbekistan), No. 28 Sara Bejlek (Czechia) to Cristina Bucșa (Spain), and No. 32 Maria Sakkari to Yulia Starodubtseva (Ukraine). Also on Saturday, American Jessica Pegula lived up to her third seed by dropping No. 31 Leylah Fernandez of Canada. Likewise, No. 6 Linda Nosková (Czechia) prevailed over No. 29 Ann Li (US), No. 11 Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine) retired No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia), and No. 16 Sorana Cîrstea (Romania) ousted No. 19 Jasmine Paolini (Italy). Likewise, yesterday, No. 2 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) won against Yuliia Starodubtseva (Ukraine), No. 4 Coco Gauff (US) won against Cristina Bucșa (Spain), No. 5 Mirra Andreeva (Russia) won against Nikola Bartunkova (Czechia), No. 8 Iga Świątek (Poland) versus Marie Bouzková (Czechia), and No. 13 Naomi Osaka (Japan) over No. 23 Elise Mertens (Belgium). More upsets were expected later yesterday as top seed and back-to-back defending champion Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) faced Townsend as the tournament entered the fourth round of 16. Other top seeds scheduled to play today are Rybakina and Osaka, Pegula and Cîrstea, Gauff and Jovic, Andreeva and Potapova, Nosková and Kostyuk, Kalinskaya and Navarro, and Świątek and Zheng. Players who reach the fourth round will get $480,000 each. Those who bowed out in the third will receive $290,000 apiece, while $780,000 each await quarterfinalists (fifth round). The US Open semis ($1.45 million each to the losing players) will be held on Friday. The final match will take place next Saturday, with the runner-up consoling herself with $2.8 million.