New York (AFP)

Naomi Osaka, winner in 2018, and Pablo Carreno return to the semi-finals of the US Open, where they will respectively face Jennifer Brady and Alexander Zverev, who reached for the first time in their careers the last four at Flushing Meadows, Tuesday.

At 22, Osaka is the youngest player still in contention.

But the former world No.1, who had not passed the 8th in Grand Slam since his title at the Australian Open in 2019, seems determined to go to the end.

Driven perhaps by an increase in energy conferred on her by her involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement (she shows up every day with a mask bearing the name of a victim, like George Floyd on Tuesday), Osaka eliminated without delaying ( 6-3, 6-4) the American Shelby Rogers (93rd) whom she had never beaten in three confrontations so far.

"She had the advantage because she had always beaten me. So I had a feeling of revenge and I think my attitude was the right one," said Osaka.

The only fear, more visible for the moment than real, is the huge bandage that surrounds her left thigh, a memory of a strain that forced her to forfeit just before the Cincinnati final on August 29.

It is "hoping that nothing happens", she admitted.

Her next opponent Brady (41st) had never gone beyond the round of 16 in the Grand Slam, reached in Australia and Flushing Meadows in 2017. But the American succeeds at 25 years of age.

- Desire -

"She has a faculty to vary the blows that I envy her," said Osaka.

Brady was quick against the Kazakhe Yulia Putintseva (35th) beaten 6-3, 6-2.

"I was more aggressive on the first balls, also in return. It was the key because I am not better than her if it is necessary to run," she analyzed.

In the men's table, Zverev, 7th in the world, had a catastrophic start to the match against Borna Coric (32nd) before gradually gaining the upper hand to win 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7 -6 (7/1), 6-3.

"I had to be a little more aggressive after my start, because what I was doing was not at the level of a Grand Slam quarter-final," said the 23-year-old German.

He also finished stronger physically, reaping according to him "the fruits of a lot of physical work done in recent months during confinement".

It must be said that opposite, Coric had left strength throughout his career, including a match in five sets against Stefanos Tsitsipas (6th) in the 3rd round, during which he was led 2 sets to 1, 5- 1 in the 4th set and had saved six match points before finally winning.

- Apathy -

Zverev was instrumental in putting Coric at the head of the game by multiplying unforced errors and double serving faults, all in a kind of guilty apathy.

However, while he had conceded a new break and was led 4-2 in the second set, the German recovered to force the decision in the tie-break, thanks to a service finally found.

The same scenario emerged in the third round.

The German then took advantage of the Croatian's downturn to secure his first qualification for the semi-finals at the US Open.

He, the youngest player of the new generation, who has never really confirmed in a Grand Slam, joins the last four of a Major for the second time, after the Australian Open at the start of the year.

In Melbourne, he stumbled over Dominic Thiem.

This time, the obstacle will be called Pablo Carreno.

The Spaniard, beneficiary of the disqualification of Novak Djokovic on Sunday, took 4 h 08 min to dismiss the Canadian Denis Shapovalov (17th) 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4), 0-6, 6-3, in night session.

Tireless blocker, he ended up discouraging his young opponent, author of twice as many winning shots but who made too many mistakes when the game tightened, especially in the two tie-breaks and during the decisive set.

"I am destroyed, but very, very happy," said the Barcelona player, who will play a second half after 2017.

© 2020 AFP