Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Despite being beaten in the third round of the US Open, Ash Barty sees plenty of positives as she hits a new career-high ranking.

Flushing Meadow - Corona Park, Flushing, NY 11368, United States, 2 September 2017 | AAP

Ashleigh Barty is hunting an Australian Open seeding and a coveted spot in the season-ending doubles championships after bowing out of the US Open singles in New York.

Aiming to reach the second week of a grand slam for the first time, Barty succumbed 6-2 6-4 in her third-round clash with unseeded American Sloane Stephens.

“Sloane played a really good match and sort of took control and took me out of it a little bit,” Barty said.

2017 US Open R2 Rafael Nadal bt. Taro Daniel  4/6 6/3 6/2 6/2

Next opponent - Leo Mayer

Rafa: "For me, it's a very important victory. It's true that I didn't play very well tonight. In the first set, I had a lot of opportunities.
I need to improve a lot of things. I really believe I can do it much better and I'm going to do it much better." 

***************************

Daria Gavrilova fell in the longest women's match in US Open history to dangerous American Shelby Rogers, narrowly missing a berth in the third round for the first time.

New York, NY, USA, 1 September 2017 | Darren Walton (AAP)

Daria Gavrilova has suffered US Open heartbreak, losing the longest women’s match in history at Flushing Meadows, a three-hour, 33-minute epic.

The 25th seed fought off four match points before succumbing 7-6(6) 4-6 7-6(5) to big-hitting American Shelby Rogers in their gruelling second-round contest.

Gavrilova showcased her signature fighting spirit in a high-quality and rollercoaster encounter featuring 11 service breaks, 76 winners, 111 unforced errors, a 90-minute deciding set and a warm embrace between the two exhausted combatants at the net.

John Millman has continued his heart-warming comeback from another surgery, reaching the third round of the US Open for the first time.

New York, NY, USA, 1 September 2017 | Darren Walton (AAP)

Australian tennis battler John Millman has continued his blazing US Open run to charge into the third round and earn himself the opportunity of a lifetime.

Australia’s last man standing backed up his upset defeat of Nick Kyrgios with a 6-1 7-6(1) 6-1 dismissal of Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri to make the last 32 in New York for the first time.

Millman next plays either German Philipp Kohlschreiber or Colombian Santiago Giraldo – both unseeded – for a $US144,000 ($A181,080) pay day and coveted spot in the second week of the season’s final Grand Slam event.

Ash Barty reached the third round at a Grand Slam for the second time in 2017 after holding off Aliaksandra Sasnovich to reach the last 32 in New York.

New York, NY, USA, 31 August 2017 | Darren Walton (AAP)

Ash Barty hopes to free-roll her way into the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time after continuing her breakthrough season with another milestone win in New York.

Australia’s resurgent former junior prodigy saw off Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1 7-6(7) to progress to the third round of one of the most inviting US Open draws in years.

Already guaranteed a career-high ranking well inside the world’s top 40, Barty will play unseeded American Sloane Stephens – a former world No.11 and Grand Slam semifinalist – on Saturday with a golden opportunity to gatecrash the last 16.

Australian wildcard Alex De Minaur's straight-sets loss to No.6 seed Dominic Thiem at the US Open has given the teenager plenty to learn from as he continues to build.

New York, NY, USA, 31 August 2017 | Darren Walton (AAP)

Australian teenager Alex De Minaur is pledging to learn from a brutal first-round defeat at the US Open in New York.

The 18-year-old wildcard won only two of the last 16 games in a 6-4 6-1 6-1 loss to Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem.

Resuming their rain-interrupted first-round encounter, Thiem needed just 20 minutes to clean up De Minaur after leading 6-4 6-1 1-0 overnight.

Daria Gavrilova has taken her winning streak to six after winning her first ever main-draw match at the US Open on Wednesday.

New York, NY, USA, 31 August 2017 | Darren Walton (AAP)

A resounding win for in-form Daria Gavrilova has given Australia’s women’s tennis stars their best start to the US Open in more than 30 years.

Gavrilova extended her hardcourt winning streak to six matches with a 6-2 6-1 rout of Allie Kiick to join Ashleigh Barty, Arina Rodionova and Ajla Tomljanovic as first-round winners.

It’s the first time four Australian women have progressed to the second round at Flushing Meadows since 1986.

John Millman has charged into the second round of the US Open following a four-set win over ailing No.14 seed Nick Kyrgios.

New York, NY, USA, 31 August 2017 | Darren Walton (AAP)

John Millman is cherishing, if not celebrating, one of the most significant wins of his career after cashing in on Nick Kyrgios’s physical frailties to storm into the second round of the US Open for the first time.

Playing on an injury-protected ranking of his own, Millman kept his nerve as Kyrgios battled his box, officials and ultimately a wounded shoulder to carve out a bittersweet 6-3 1-6 6-4 6-1 victory over his more-fancied countryman.

“It’s a victory, but a hollow victory,” Millman said.