In the night session, after the match between Carlos Alcaraz (4th in the world) and Jenson Brooksby (43rd), Rafael Nadal (3rd) will be expected on the Arthur Ashe, against Richard Gasquet (91st).

An unbalanced confrontation on paper, since the Spaniard, who seeks to bring his record of Grand Slam titles to 23, leads 17 victories to 0 against the French.

In the meantime, the first qualifier of the day in the men's draw was Norrie (9th), very solid to dismiss Dane Holger Rune (33rd) 7-5, 6-4, 6-1.

A third success in as many confrontations, after those won in May in Lyon, where he was then titled, and at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, where he reached the last four in mid-August.

During the game, Rune complained to the referee that he thought Norrie was deliberately throwing the ball badly on serve, catching it and then performing better.

The latter defended himself: "I have trouble throwing the ball sometimes, it's not intentional. Afterwards, I can understand that it can be boring to return".

Here is the Briton, semi-finalist this summer at Wimbledon, who reached the round of 16 for the first time at Flushing Meadows, where he still has not lost a set of the tournament.

Swiatek in the evening

Norrie, 27, will be opposed in the next round to Russian Andrey Rublev (11th) or Canadian Denis Shapovalov (21st).

Among the women, the day after the elimination of Serena Williams, marking the retirement of the legendary player at the 23 Grand Slams, things resumed their course and rather spectacularly, with the qualification of Petra Kvitova (21st), winning exit a fine duel against Garbiñe Muguruza (10th).

The 32-year-old Czech has indeed overthrown 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (12/10) the Spaniard (10th), after a very tight and undecided match, in 2h41.

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Kvitova, a finalist in Cincinnati this summer, ended up having the last laugh in a high-flying tiebreak, after saving two match points at 6-5 against her.

It was his sixth victory in a row over Muguruza, who had won their very first confrontation.

The Czech, champion at Wimbledon in 2014, will face the American Jessica Pegula (8th), who dropped a set against the modest Chinese Yue Yuan (142nd), winning 6-2, 6-7 (6/8) , 6-0.

Another qualified, Victoria Azarenka (26th) who was in a hurry to sweep 6-3, 6-0 the Croatian Petra Martic (54th).

The Belarusian, three times finalist at Flushing Meadows, will face in the round of 16 the Swiss Belinda Bencic (13th) or the Czech Karolina Pliskova (22nd).

The world No.1 Iga Swiatek will play in the evening against the American Lauren Davis (105th).

© 2022 AFP