New York (AFP)
American Kristie Ahn, 141st in the world and invited by the organizers to join the big table of the US Open, qualified Saturday for the round of 16 by eliminating Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko (77) 6-3, 7- 5.
At 27, Ahn, who had never played a single Grand Slam before the US Open, will face Belgian Elise Mertens (26th) for a place in the quarterfinals.
She had played for the first time the big picture of the US Open in 2008 and has never qualified since.
This year, she has benefited from a wild card to which she is a credit, as well as her compatriot Coco Gauff (140), the only other player invited to have reached the third round.
Ahn graduated from science at Stanford University and achieved her best WTA ranking on January 15, 2018 when she ranked 105th in the world.
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