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Phew. That’s my watch over for today. And we’ve only got through four singles matches. Taylor Fritz and Tomas Machac are up next on Louis Armstrong, in what’s nearly a night match now, with Aryna Sabalenka still to come after that. And in the night session on Arthur Ashe it’s Novak Djokovic v Jan-Lennard Struff, before Elena Rybakina v Marketa Vondrousova. We’ll have reports on the site later. Bye!
Updated at 18.11 EDT
A penny for Townsend’s thoughts right now. I don’t think she’ll get much sleep tonight, that’s for sure. It may be scant consolation, but Krejcikova did play some superb tennis on those eight match points. Sometimes you have to say too good. Though Townsend could have landed a few more first serves. I think she was waiting for Krejcikova to falter rather than win the points herself. The question now is can Townsend, the world No 1 in doubles, put herself in a position to go deep in the singles at slams more often.
Updated at 18.05 EDT
Krejcikova is celebrating with her team as if she’s won the tournament. “What a match,” the former Wimbledon and French Open champion says. “Just four months ago I was off the court, I couldn’t play, I couldn’t practice, I had a huge pain in my back. This is huge, I still can’t believe it. Even though the crowd wasn’t for me I loved the atmosphere. I wish they had a tournament in the Czech Republic for me! Maybe in a different life. But I’m still enjoying. I was sidelined for six months, I didn’t know if I’d be able to play again, it’s a huge privilege.”
ShareKrejcikova defeats Townsend 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3!
But this isn’t over yet. We should have learnt that from the second-set tie-break. Townsend produces two of her best points of the decider to get to 15-30 … but she nets when Krejcikova’s slice skids viciously low. 30-all. Will it be match point or break point? “Let’s go Barbora, let’s go,” cries a lone voice in the crowd. He’s brave. And so is Krejcikova, as she brings up match point. Now it’s Townsend’s turn to save a match point though! But here’s a second … and Townsend lobs long! Krejcikova completes the most dramatic of turnarounds in the match of the women’s tournament, having saved eight match points. For Townsend, so close to a first grand slam singles quarter-final at her home slam, it’s utterly heartbreaking.
Barbora Krejcikova celebrates her improbable win … Photograph: Pamela Smith/AP… as Taylor Townsend departs after her agonising defeat. Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 18.20 EDT
Krejcikova, undeterred, gets straight back to the job in hand and clinically advances to 15-40 on the American’s serve. Krejcikova errs on the first break point … and nets on the second too! Townsend has her opponent on the run at deuce and is able to move to advantage. But even the crowd are applauding the Czech when she unleashes a backhand return winner. They’re less generous when Krejcikova brings up a third break point – and then breaks. A third break of serve in a row leaves Krejcikova at 5-3 and about to serve for the match …
Updated at 17.48 EDT
Krejcikova, meanwhile, is giving nothing away in her body language, even when she misses a volley and gives Townsend a break-back point! That didn’t seem to be in the script. Townsend, now lighter on her feet and skipping around the court, moves forward, but is suddenly jammed on the volley, and miscues wide! Cue an anguished expression. But a backhand pass gets Townsend a second break-back point! And she seizes it with a rasping return! She’s fist pumping and screaming and roaring and screaming some more. The energy is definitely back. It’s 4-3 Krejcikova but they’re back on serve.
Updated at 17.41 EDT
Townsend, looking fatigued and slow on her feet, drops 30-40 down after three unforced errors. She appears on the verge of tears. This match has taken so much out of her. She doesn’t want it to end in subdued surrender. Krejcikova rams a backhand winner into the open court and there’s the first break of the third set. And judging from Townsend’s body language right now, it could be the decisive one.
The level of intensity has totally dropped off. Maybe they’re just gearing themselves up for another tie-break (I’d take that, sure you would too), though the lefty Townsend does hit an eye-catching backhand winner for 30-all. That’s as good as it gets for her, though, as Krejcikova holds from there for 3-2.
Updated at 17.35 EDT
Townsend could do with trying to get the crowd back into this, she’s (understandably) been rather subdued since the tie-break. Krejcikova holds to 30 and is pushing on Townsend’s serve at 30-all. Townsend edges to 40-30, and then has the clarity of mind at the net to leave Krejcikova’s shot, which flies well beyond the baseline. It’s still on serve at 2-2.
Krejcikova cooly holds at the start of the third set. This is huge game coming up for Townsend … can she move on from the whirlwind of that breaker? The answer seems to to be no as she falls 0-30 behind, but then she shows real resolve to drag herself to 30-all and 40-30. “Rip and flick,” her coach is urging. Not sure what he means there. But it seems to work, as she holds from deuce. It’s 1-1 in the decider.
Updated at 17.06 EDT
Of course so much of the narrative in this match is about Townsend, and what she’s trying to achieve and what she’s been through this tournament after she unwittingly became involved in that row with Ostapenko, but credit to Krejcikova, she showed there why she’s a big-game player and why she’s won two grand slam singles titles. What happens in the third set? It’s a perilous job to predict it after the insanity of that second set, but I think Krejcikova has the edge given her experience and the fact Townsend looks absolutely shellshocked.
Updated at 17.07 EDT
Set point No 4 for Krejcikova. Townsend misses her first serve … lands a weak second, which allows the Czech to take authority in the point, coming forward, before finally settling matters with a smash! We’ve got ourselves another set of this! Yes please. 15-13 (!!!!!!!!!) was the final score.
Updated at 17.15 EDT
… Townsend’s volley sets up an eighth match point. Fine reactions from the world No 1 in doubles. But remember, she’s never made a slam quarter-final in singles before. Could this finally be the moment? No, because her return lands long. It’s now 13-13. And time is turning into a giant flat circle …
… how has Krejcikova saved her best shots for the match points?! This is crazy. And utterly compulsive viewing. Here’s a seventh match point for Townsend. She must barely be able to hear herself think such is the noise on Louis Armstrong. And Krejcikova swats away a forehand return winner! They change ends – again. And it’s 12-12 …
… now 10-9 to Krejcikova, so a third set point. Townsend aborts her ball toss on the serve, before hitting her first serve long. The second serve is wobbly, it’s so short, Krejcikova steps in to punish it … and nets! Another unforced error from Krejcikova and it’s 11-10 to Townsend, her sixth match point in this set and her fifth of the breaker. The crowd are imploring Townsend to get this done. But Krejcikova hits a superb sliced backhand volley and sticks it back behind the stumbling American! 11-11 …
Barbora Krejcikova, of the Czech Republic, returns a shot against Taylor Townsend, of the United States. Photograph: Pamela Smith/APShare
Updated at 17.08 EDT
At 8-8, a long baseline exchange plays out, and Krejcikova is apologising to Townsend when her backhand flicks the net and lands for a winner. The Czech has her second set point. But she rams into the tramlines! She really should have landed that. Again they change ends. It’s 9-9 …
… but Townsend, once again finds a way to regroup, and jams Krejcikova with a body serve. MP No 5 at 7-6. The crowd are cheering. They think Krejcikova’s backhand has flown wide. But it’s in by just 14mm!!! So we go again. It’s 7-7. Krejcikova shows ridiculous reflexes at the net and even the American crowd are applauding. Townsend isn’t. She’s rolling her eyes. Now Krejcikova has her first set point at 8-7 …. but she nets! And. We. Go. On.
Some more net-bashing from Krejcikova and Townsend leads 4-3 – the American now has the mini-break – and she consolidates it for 5-3! She’s now two points away. Make that one! It’s 6-3! So here comes the biggest point of her singles career. Or at least the biggest point since that missed match point at 5-4 in this set. She can’t take it. Nor the second mp. Nor the third, as her shot skids just wide of the sideline. Somehow, Krejcikova has got it back to 6-6 …
Louis Armstrong is rocking when Townsend wins the opening point. Krejcikova comes back with the next two points, on her serve. The Czech then takes advantage of Townsend’s tentativeness in coming forward, threading a pass beyond the despairing American. So Krejcikova has the first mini-break for 3-2 … but a messy shot into the net and it’s 3-3 at the changeover …
A here’s another jarring shift in momentum, as Townsend gets to 15-30 … and then 30-40 with a forehand down the line that Krejcikova can’t get back into play! Win this break point and Townsend has got herself a tie-break … which she does when Krejcikova scoops her backhand long! That match point won’t hurt quite so much now.
Townsend, not surprisingly given that missed match point, is struggling to reset. She slips 0-30 down on serve. And then 15-40. She pulls out of her ball toss on the break point, before missing with the first serve. She makes the second, but her feet look heavy, and they barely move to retrieve Krejcikova’s punchy return. Krejcikova, from match point down, will serve for the second set at 6-5. How quickly a match can turn.
Updated at 16.26 EDT
The perfect start for Townsend as she seizes the opening point on Krejcikova’s serve. Or rather, the Czech gifts it to her with an errant forehand. And there’s another! 0-30. Krejcikova comes back for 30-all; this time her forehand hits the spot. But Townsend’s backhand down the line draws the error from Krejcikova! The American has a match point … but a brave one-two punch from Krejcikova saves it. Deuce. Game Krejcikova. The Czech is screaming as if she’s won the match. It’s 6-1, 5-5.
Back to Louis Armstrong, where Townsend, at 6-1, 4-4, 40-0, is on the cusp of something very special. And an unreturned serve settles the game! Townsend is a game away from the greatest achievement of her singles career.
I’m not sure what more Rinderknech could have done there. He played as well as he could have, but he simply doesn’t have the superpowers and other-wordly shot-making skills of Alcaraz. Though to be fair, who does? Not even Sinner. Sinner’s style is more metronomic consistency.
A beaming Alcaraz tells the crowd how much he loves entertaining them. “I think my style of tennis suits the energy here in New York. That’s why I play my best tennis here,” he says. He reckons he still needs to work on his golf swing though. “It doesn’t look that good on the golf course, to be honest,” he jokes when asked about his celebration.
Updated at 16.11 EDT
Alcaraz beats Rinderknech 7-6, 6-3, 6-4
Alcaraz, having generously allowed Rinderknech to hold four times in the third set, decides it’s time to finish things off, magicking an outrageous forehand winner from Rinderknech’s smash for 0-30 at 4-4! And the break inevitably follows. Alcaraz accelerates to 40-15 on his own serve, two match points, and he needs just the one. Cue his now customary golf swing celebration. He may not be the defending champion, but he’s the king of New York on this form. For me, he’s edged ahead of Sinner to become the favourite. Four matches in, he still hasn’t dropped a set and probably won’t have too many sleepless nights about facing Lehecka next in the last eight.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain acknowledges the crowd after defeating Arthur Rinderknech of France. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.13 EDT
Townsend whips the crowd into a New York frenzy as she breaks with a perfectly placed lob! At 6-1, 3-1, that first slam singles quarter-final is getting much closer … can she see this over the line? She manages a wry smile after bashing into the net when the point was there for the taking … but she’s glaring when Krejcikova secures a break point at 30-40. Townsend moves forward … and this time courageously nails a backhand drive volley winner, similar to the one she missed a few points ago. Deuce. But she then coughs up a double fault to hand the break back. They’re back on serve at 6-1, 3-2.
The best part of 14,000 spectators sigh as Townsend slices into the net. From 40-0 up, it’s deuce. The American’s serve isn’t quite popping as it was, and it’s putting her under more pressure in the points. Townsend then drags wide and Krejcikova has her first break point of the match. Townsend will be furious with herself if she loses this game given the lead she had. A smart serve out wide and Krejcikova nets. And Townsend escapes with the hold. She’s 6-1, 2-1 ahead.