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NEW YORK – Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova was eliminated in the second round of the US Open on Thursday, losing to Elena-Gabriela Ruse with a score of 6-4, 7-5. The second-seeded Krejcikova, who won her second Grand Slam title in singles earlier this summer, has not played a match since the Tokyo Olympics and recently admitted that she was uncertain about her current level of play.
“Winning Wimbledon is amazing. It’s a fantastic achievement, and I am very proud of how I managed everything there,” said Krejcikova, who has not participated in hardcourt tournaments since February. She added, “I think I played quite well, definitely better than in the first match. I feel my game improved, but it just wasn’t enough.”
Ruse, who had significantly more playing time on the US Open’s hard courts, qualified for the main tournament through the qualifying rounds. She proved to be more effective than Krejcikova in the crucial moments, fighting back from a 5-3 deficit in the second set to win the last four games. “Barbora is such a great player; she has won so many matches in the past two years, and this is just a dream for me,” said Ruse, a 26-year-old from Romania.
No woman has won both Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year since Serena Williams in 2012. With this victory, Ruse advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time and will now face 26th-seeded Paula Badosa, who eliminated American Taylor Townsend with a score of 6-3, 7-5. Badosa continued her strong summer performance by reaching the third round of the US Open for the first time.
“I know it’s only the third round, but I have really been looking forward to doing this in New York,” said Badosa, who is Spanish and was born in New York.
Another women’s third-round match will see 14th-seeded Madison Keys face 33rd-seeded Elise Mertens. Keys defeated Maya Joint with a score of 6-4, 6-0, while Mertens won against Ajla Tomljanovic with a score of 6-3, 6-2.
Defending champions Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic were also scheduled to play on Thursday evening. The first men’s third-round match to be determined will feature 9th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, who reached the semifinals of the US Open in 2019, facing Tallon Griekspoor. Dimitrov advanced decisively over Rinky Hijikata, while Griekspoor moved forward as 21st-seeded Sebastian Baez stopped playing in the second set.
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