Saturday, September 4th 2021
Gojowczyk continues at US Open
Kerber wins the duel of the ex-champions
Angelique Kerber can continue to dream of winning the US Open. The German tennis player prevails against Sloane Stephens and is in the round of 16. In the men’s field, Peter Gojowczyk provides another surprise.
Angelique Kerber won the duel between the former tournament winners at the US Open and reached the round of 16 with a win against Sloane Stephens. The former world number one from Kiel prevailed on Friday against the American in a high-class match with 5: 7, 6: 2, 6: 3. Peter Gojowczyk won a comparison of the qualifiers and is among the top 16 in a Grand Slam for the first time at the age of 32.
In the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the season, Kerber will now face the number three defending champion Naomi Osaka from Japan or the Canadian Leylah Fernandez. Stephens won the title at the US Open in 2017, a year after Kerber. After 1:58 hours, the 33-year-old used her first match point and got her second victory in the seventh comparison with Stephens. “That was a feat and world-class tennis,” commented the former national coach and today’s women boss Barbara Rittner Kerber’s performance on the TV channel Eurosport.
Gojowczyk also showed a very strong performance, celebrating the biggest prize money check of his career with a loud cheer. “I just try to enjoy everything. It is an unbelievable feeling to leave the field as a winner here,” he said after the 3: 6, 6: 3, 6: 1, 6: 4 against Henri Laaksonen from Switzerland. The former Davis Cup professional from Munich is now in the round of 16 at one of the four most important tournaments in the world for the first time. Even though he is traveling all alone in New York. Without a coach, without a physiotherapist or fitness trainer. “It’s a shame that nobody is there to clap or to cheer,” said Gojowczyk on Friday – but that didn’t detract from his joy. “I try to involve the spectators, which was certainly noticeable when I screamed after the match point.”
In the fight for the quarter-finals, Gojowczyk will now face Carlos Alcaraz from Spain. The 18-year-old surprisingly eliminated number three seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. Gojowczyk has already secured prize money of US $ 265,000. “I’ve never got such a large check before, but I’m not thinking about the money now,” he said. He and Laaksonen had secured a place in the main field through qualification. After 2:07 hours, Gojowczyk, who is in 141st place in the world rankings, turned his first match ball against Laaksonen, who was 130th. “I did a good job today,” said Gojowczyk. When asked what strategy he would prescribe himself without a coach, he replied: “I don’t have any. I fought for every point.”
In the previous round he had defeated the favored Serb Dusan Lajovic in five sets, after he had also surprised in five rounds with his first round win against number 23 French Ugo Humbert. “I know when I play well and when my body is feeling good, my game is very gross to the other players, too,” he said. Gojowczyk gave up the first set after 32 minutes against Laaksonen, but then came better and better into the game.
In the Grandstand, the third largest stadium on the facility in Flushing Meadows, he started his service game in the fourth set with a double fault at a 5-4 lead. But then he fended off two breakballs and continued to play courageously and with strong nerves. After a little more than two hours, he was able to celebrate his greatest success in addition to the ATP title in 2017 in Metz and the successful Davis Cup appearance in 2014 in France. “I’ll keep it simple,” he said when asked about his preparation for the opponents. “There is internet in the hotel room.”
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