Top 5 Photos, US Open Day 4: Townsend & Gauff ride home crowd support
In a second-round matchup full of twists and turns, Townsend recorded her best win ever, while Gauff cemented a Saturday battle with defending champion Naomi Osaka.
With play resuming on Thursday with a backlog of matches, there was no shortage of action-packed entertainment. These are the Top 5 photos from Day 4 at the US Open.
1. Serve and volley queen Taylor Townsend has been waiting for a breakthrough moment and on Thursday, it arrived. Townsend shortened points and kept Simona Halep guessing the entire match to post a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over the Wimbledon champion. The qualifier shocked the crowd, rallying back from a set down and later saving a match point, showing she has both the tenacity and talent to defeat the world's best. Townsend will continue her run against another Romanian in Sorana Cirstea.
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2. Alexander Zverev came out on top after edging American Frances Tiafoe, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, to reach the tournament's third round. The German has now captured nine out of the last ten Grand Slam matches that have gone to a deciding set. Zverev will next meet Slovenian Aljaz Bedene, who is on a seven-match winning streak after claiming an ATP Challenger title in his home country heading into Flushing Meadows.
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3. Playing in the Bronx Open and staying in her Brooklyn apartment weeks before the start of the US Open looks to be paying off for Andrea Petkovic. The world No. 88 posted a 6-4, 6-4 upset against No. 6 seed Petra Kvitova. The two previously squared off 10 times but after Thursday's battle, Petkovic inched ahead 6-5 in their head-to-head series. The German will face Elise Mertens in the third round, a player she lost to earlier this year in Mallorca on grass.
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4. Nick Kyrgios found himself tangled in yet another drama-filled encounter with an umpire, but this time it was before the match even commenced. Kyrgios wore his collar up to reveal Nike's famous slogan with a twist; stating "Just do you." In an apparent dress-code breach, Kyrgios argued the rule but reluctantly agreed to play with his collar down. The Australian would defeat Antoine Hoang, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, to win his second-round match in routine fashion.
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5. Cori "Coco" Gauff kept the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd on their feet, as they watched the 15-year-old fight her way through a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over qualifier Timea Babos. Gauff left everything on the court, hustling down shots and even diving to keep points alive to ultimately earn a winning finish. Gauff is the youngest woman to reach the US Open third round since 1996.
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Wake up every morning with Tennis Channel Live at the US Open, starting at 8 a.m. ET. For three hours leading up to the start of play, Tennis Channel's team will break down upcoming matches, review tournament storylines and focus on everything Flushing Meadows.
Tennis Channel's encore, all-night match coverage will begin every evening at 11 p.m. ET, with the exception of earlier starts on Saturday and Sunday of championship weekend.