Third round singles action begins on Sunday.
Top seeds such as Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff will take the court on Sunday, with Gauff taking on one of the most popular new players in tour: 20-year-old Alexandra Eala. Plus, Amanda Anisimova, a two-time Major finalist last season, faces 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. And Ben Shelton plays a fellow American who claimed their only previous meeting: 20-year-old Learner Tien.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Saturday (in chronological order, all times local):
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Jaqueline Cristian – 11:00am on Stadium 1
Sabalenka comfortably won her opening round on Friday against a qualifier in straight sets. This is her first time playing 27-year-old Cristian, who recently reached a career-high ranking of No.33
Ben Shelton (8) vs. Learner Tien (25) – Not Before 1:00pm on Stadium 1
Shelton was struggling with illness in his opening match, yet managed to overcome another American, Reilly Opelka, in three sets. On the same day, Tien won a pair of sets in tiebreaks to advance. Last Summer in Mallorca on grass, Tien claimed their only prior encounter in straights.
Camila Osorio vs. Naomi Osaka (16) – Not Before 1:00pm on Stadium 2
Osaka prevailed on Friday in straights, in her first match since withdrawing from the Australian Open due to ongoing abdominal issues. In the last round, Osorio upset 18th-seeded Iva Jovic in three. These players have split their two previous meetings, and it was Osorio who eliminated Osaka from this same tournament a year ago.
Denis Shapovalov vs. Jannik Sinner (2) – Third on Stadium 1
Sinner dropped just two games in his opening match, while Shapovalov has already survived two three-setters to this stage. Last summer at the US Open, Shapovalov took the first set over Sinner, before the Italian came back to win in four.
Emma Raducanu (25) vs. Amanda Anisimova (6) – Third on Stadium 2
After losing the first set on Friday, Anisimova won 12 of the next 13 games to close out the match. Raducanu lost just four games in her opening round. These players faced off three times last season, with all three matches taking place on hard courts, and with Raducanu taking two of three.
Coco Gauff (4) vs. Alexandra Eala (31) – Not Before 6:00pm on Stadium 1
This is a rematch from just a few weeks ago in Dubai, where Gauff easily prevailed 6-0, 6-2. However, Coco played rather poorly in her opening round on Friday, in a straight-set match filled with unforced errors, and which saw her strike zero aces and 10 double faults. But Eala also had to fight her way to victory on Friday, defeating Dayana Yastremska in a three-setter that lasted nearly three hours.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
