Jennifer Brady produced a clinical display to reach her first ever Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open after brushing aside Angelique Kerber in straight sets.
The 28th seed roared her way to a 6-1, 6-4, victory over the former champion in what was her first fourth round match at a major since 2017. Brady dictated play from the onset with her aggressive hitting as she fired three aces and 25 winners past Kerber. Ensuring that at least one American woman would feature in the last eight of the New York major for the 26th year in a row.
“It feels great, I’m so happy,” Brady said during her on-court interview.
“I think I played a spectacular first set and I don’t think I made very many errors. In the second set I started with a break and then lost my serve. I just tried to focus on every single point and not really get ahead of myself.”
Despite her lack of experience when it comes to playing on the main stage, Brady entered her showdown with the German by dropping only 14 games in three previous matches. She continued her blistering form against Kerber by clinching the opening set in just 23 minutes by breaking twice in a row. Throughout the opener Brady lost only four points behind her serve.
It was a tougher test for the American in the second frame both mentally and physically. Trading breaks early on, Brady edged ahead to a set and 3-2 lead before halting the match. She exited the Grandslam Arena to undergo treatment on her left leg but was still able to move freely around the court after returning.
“I felt a little pain in my leg but I just wanted to close it out in two sets. Angie is a great player and she makes you fight for every single win,” she commented on the issue.
Despite the injury scare, the 25-year-old continued to battle on the court against the world No.23 who was hitting more freely than earlier in the match. Closing in on the milestone win, Brady survived a roller-coaster 10-minute service game to move to a game away from victory. Continuing to weather the storm she clinched the win on her second match point with the help of a Kerber forehand shot landing beyond the baseline.
“I just tried to look to be aggressive when possible,” the world No.41 commented on her game plan. “I knew she was going to make me play a lot of balls and I just tried to stay ahead of the point. Not letting her make me run side-to-side.”
Kerber is the sixth top-25 player Brady has defeated in 2020. Last month she clinched her maiden WTA title at the Top Seed Open in Lexington without dropping a set in the entire tournament. Speaking about her surge in form, she puts it down to her hard work during the off-season.
“I worked really hard in the off-season with my coach Michael and trainer Daniel. All credit to Daniel. He’s a really intelligent and smart guy. He knows what he is doing. He’s definitely the reason why I feel so fit out on here (the court).” She explained.
Brady will play either Yulia Putintseva or Petra Martic next who are both currently ranked higher than her.
