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Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani advanced to the quarterfinals in women’s doubles action at the U.S. Open on Monday.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, and Stefani rolled past Japan’s Eri Hozumi and Slovenia’s Andreja Klepac 6-0, 6-3, in the Round of 16.
The second-seeded duo struck three aces and converted four of their eight break-point chances to win the match in 55 minutes.
Dabrowski and Stefani will next play the winner Monday’s match between Jiang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai of China and Miyu Kato of Japan and Wu Fang-Hsien of Taiwan.
The 34-year-old Dabrowski is a two-time U.S. Open doubles champion, having won the women’s tournament with Erin Routliffe of New Zealand in 2023 and 2025.
No Canadians remain in the U.S. Open singles draws.
Rybakina beats Osaka, 1 win away from No. 1
Elena Rybakina overpowered Naomi Osaka later Monday and is a win away from the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis.
She just has to beat Zheng Qinwen, which won’t be easy. Even when Zheng goes down — way, way down — she refuses to stay there.
Rybakina advanced to the quarterfinals Monday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Osaka in a matchup of power-hitting Grand Slam champions. The No. 2-seeded Rybakina is guaranteed to replace Aryna Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings if she reaches the semifinals in Flushing Meadows.
“Of course I want it, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t wish this, but definitely that’s one of my goals,” Rybakina said. “I try to approach the same way, try to do everything I can, fight until the end my next match and let’s see what’s going to happen.”
Zverev cruises
Men’s top seed Alexander Zverev beat Italian Luciano Darderi 6-2 6-2 7-6(3) at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the German surprised to finish before midnight after coming through a couple of five-setters earlier in the tournament.
“I think after 10 hours on court, I just maybe found my rhythm a little bit better, which is helpful because the first two matches were really not great level,” Zverev said.
“I think I’m going in the right direction, moving forward in the right direction.”
Zverev, who is bidding for a second Grand Slam title after winning the French Open in June, avenged his defeat by Darderi at the Italian Open in Rome earlier this year.
Zheng upsets Swiatek after erasing 5-0 deficit
Trying to stop her will be Zheng, who made a daring escape from a 5-0 deficit for the second straight match. The 2024 Olympic gold medallist from China beat No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 to become the first qualifier to reach the final eight in Flushing Meadows since Emma Raducanu won the title in 2021.
Two days after she was down 5-0 in the third set before winning the final seven games to stun No. 22 Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, Zheng quickly dropped the first five games against Swiatek, the 2022 U.S. Open champion.
“I guess to come back 0-5 yesterday is not lucky, that’s all I can say,” Zheng said.
Rybakina won the Australian Open this year for her second major title and her No. 2 ranking is her career best. Even if she loses Wednesday, she can still get to No. 1 if neither Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula wins the title.
Rybakina was too good for Osaka, who won two of her four Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open. The match lasted just one hour, six minutes, with Rybakina closing it out with an ace. She leads the WTA Tour in that category.
Swiatek couldn’t convert two set points serving at 5-1 and Zheng fought off another when Swiatek served with a 5-3 lead. She said she was so focused on each point that she even forgot the score.
Zheng was a U.S. Open quarterfinalist in 2023 and 2024 — the year she reached the Australian Open final — but after her ranked dropped following elbow surgery she had to go through qualifying this year to reach the main draw. Raducanu’s title five years ago made her the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era, which dates to 1968.
Swiatek came in with a 7-1 record against Zheng, with the only loss two years ago in the Olympic semifinals in Paris. Zheng came back from a 4-0 deficit in the second set that day to stop Swiatek’s 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros, where she has won four French Open titles.
French Open champion Mirra Andreeva came back to beat No. 24 Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, after helping her opponent when she injured her knee in the final game of the match. She will next play Coco Gauff, who beat No. 14 Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4 to return to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning her first major title at the tournament in 2023. She lost in the fourth round in each of the last two years.