US Open: Fernandez knocks out former champion Kerber, Daniil Medvedev sails into quarters

Leylah Fernandez makes heads turn at the US Open.

The 19-year-old gave herself a big birthday present, beating former champion Angelique Kerber after coming back from behind 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in a hard-fought fourth-round match on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev fired off 13 aces to end British hope Dan Evans’ US Open Challenge with a quickfire 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory in the fourth round.

The victory over the 2016 champion Kerber comes a day after she had knocked out defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third round.

There would be no letdown for Fernandez after the biggest win of her fledgling career, the youngster soaking up the energy from a seething Louis Armstrong crowd after dropping the opening set to three-times Grand Slam winner Kerber.

“Honestly, the crowd has been amazing, so thanks to them I was able to win,” said Fernandez, who next faces fifth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

“I was just trusting my game. She (Kerber) is an incredible fighter, incredible player. Just putting one more ball back in, fighting, and just having fun on the court.”

Fernandez had grabbed the early break at 4-2 but could not consolidate it as Kerber, the 2016 U.S. Open winner, broke right back with the help of a pair of double-faults by the Canadian.

Having made the breakthrough, the experienced German quickly took command, winning four straight games to open up a 1-0 lead.

But Fernandez remained unfazed, fist-pumping and screaming with each winner throughout a tight second set that went to a tie-break that she took 7-5. Kerber, 15 years older than her opponent, countered Fernandez’s enthusiasm with veteran calm and focus, but it was the 73rd ranked Canadian taking charge in the third, sweeping the final five games to cinch a breathtaking victory.

Medvedev downs Evans to reach quarters

Evans had survived a fifth set tiebreak against Alexei Popyrin to reach the last 16 but on day seven of the hardcourt major, he was no match for the Russian second seed.

Evans handed Medvedev the early break with a double fault in the fourth game of the first set and never recovered from that setback as the Russian belted 43 winners.

Medvedev, who lost in the final to Rafa Nadal two years ago, closed out the final game of the second set in less than a minute with a pair of aces and a service winner and won all of his first-serve points in the third on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

He sealed the match in one hour and 43 minutes to roars from the rowdy New York crowd, which he won over in a remarkable transformation from villain to fan-favourite in 2019, reaching the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.