Bouchard hurts head in locker-room fall
Eugenie Bouchard, the runner-up at Wimbledon last year, slipped and fell in the US Open locker room and sustained a head injury, forcing her to withdraw from doubles and mixed doubles on Saturday, according to tournament director David Brewer.
“The severity of the injury was, and continues to be, assessed by the on-site medical personnel,” Brewer said in a statement issued by the US Tennis Association.
Brewer said Bouchard was injured Friday after winning matches in singles and mixed doubles.
Medical staff “recommended” that Bouchard withdraw from both doubles events, and she “is following that advice,” Brewer said, adding that it had not yet been determined whether the 25th-seeded Canadian would remain in the singles tournament.
“Bouchard will continue with medical evaluation and treatment for the remainder of” Saturday, the statement added.
Konta creates British milestone at NYC
Qualifier Johanna Konta became the first British woman in 24 years to reach the fourth round of the US Open by defeating German 18th seed Andrea Petkovic.
Australian-born Konta downed Petkovic 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 to book a last-16 matchup with Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova, who routed Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-1.
After almost two hours, 97th-ranked Konta reached the fourth round for the first time at any Grand Slam event.
It was her 16th win in a row, although many of those were in sub-WTA level events and three came in Open qualifying.
Not since Jo Durie in 1991 had a British woman reached the US Open’s last 16 and not since’s Durie’s semi-final run in 1983 has a British woman gone further on the New York hardcourts. And no British woman has reached the US Open final since Virginia Wade defeated Billie Jean King in the finals of 1968.
But Johanna Konta, who became a British citizen in 2012, has one more less amazing feat within her reach.
With another triumph, she would match American Barbara Gerken’s 1981 quarter-final run as the best in US Open history by a women’s qualifier.