Maybe this was just one three-setter too many for Maria Sharapova. Sharapova tried a bit of everything, even resorting to switching over her racket to hit a few lefty shots. Still, the five-time major champion could not quite keep her Grand Slam comeback from a doping suspension going, losing in the fourth round of the US Open to 16th-seeded Anastasija Sevastova of latvia 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday.
"look, three-set matches are challenging," Sharapova said. "I love being part of them. There's an element of concentration, focus, physicality that goes into all of it. And you have to put it all together. Yeah, you just have to get through it. There's no doubt that not playing those matches certainly cost me today. I did feel like I was thinking a little bit too much and not playing by instinct."
This was the third time in her four matches that Sharapova went the distance and she faded down the stretch, while also dealing with a blister on her right hand that was treated and taped by a trainer in the final set. Sharapova's miscues kept closing exchanges, and she dropped 13 of the first 14 points in that set.
The 30-year-old Russian finished with 51 unforced errors, compared to 14 for Sevastova.
"It's been a really great ride," Sharapova said.
"Ultimately, I can take a lot from this week," she continued. "It's great to get that major out of the way. It was an incredible opportunity. I'm very thankful for the opportunity."
Sharapova's exit leaves Venus Williams as the only past US Open champion in the women's field. The 37-year-old Williams, who won the title in 2000 and 2001, got to the quarterfinals by beating Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Next for Williams will be a showdown against No 13 Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon winner, who eliminated reigning Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (3), 6-3 on Sunday night. This time, Sevastova made Sharapova run a lot by pulling her forward with drop shots or tight angles, then would often deposit follow-up strokes into open spaces. On one point won by Sharapova in the second set, she twice tracked down lobs that she got back over the net by hitting the ball left-handed. But she could not sustain enough strong play, and Sevastova reached the US Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
Earlier Sunday, 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov's entertaining stay ended with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) loss to 12th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain. Querrey gave the host nation its first male quarterfinalist in New York since 2011 by compiling 55 winners and only eight unforced errors while easily beating No 23 Mischa Zverev 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.
NADAl THROUGH TO QUARTERS
Rafael Nadal easily reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals, beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. The No 1 seed is back into the quarters in Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2013, when he won his second of two US Open titles.
He broke serve six times and needed just 1 hour, 41 minutes to finish off his unseeded opponent and set up a matchup against either No 9 seed David Goffin or unseeded Andrey Rublev.
PlISKOVA ADVANCES
Karolina Pliskova powered her way into the US Open women's quarterfinals, overwhelming American Jennifer Brady 6-1, 6-0 in just 47 minutes.
Two days after fighting off a match point to advance, the No 1 seed won 22 of 24 points on her first serve and broke her unseeded opponent's serve six times. She raced to a 4-0 lead and never let Brady get into the match in a much better performance than Saturday.
MIXED RESUlTS FOR INDIA
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna have reached the quarterfinals of their respective eventsbut the fledgling partnership of leander Paes and Purav Raja has fallen flat yet again.
The fourth seeded Indo-Chinese pair of Sania and Shuai Peng overcame stiff resistance from Sorana Cirstea and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(2) in the third round of the women's doubles. In the mixed doubles, Bopanna and Gabriela Dabrowski quelled the challenge from Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Nicholas Monroe 6-3 6-4. Paes and Raja were knocked out following a 4-6, 6-7(7) defeat against the Russian pair of Khachanov and Rublev.