After the wheelchair men's and women's doubles tournaments took center stage in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday, the singles events began Friday for the eight-man and eight-woman fields. The men's quad singles event also rolled on with its second day of round-robin play.
The day belonged to the Netherlands on the women's side, as three Dutch ladies fought through to the semifinals, led by Diede de Groot, the No. 2 seed. Two British men also got through, including No. 2 seed Gordon Reid. All four seeded players advanced – two each from the men's and women's draws – as chalk held out in the quarterfinal opening round.
In a matchup between the youngest and oldest players in either draw, the 20-year-old de Groot showed that youth can trump experience by taking out Sabine Ellerbrock of Germany. Ellerbrock, who is twice her elder at 41, fell victim to a 6-2, 6-4 scoreline on Court 11.
Japan's Yui Kamiji, the No. 1 seed in the women's draw, lived up to her billing in a 48-minute clinic. She stormed past Lucy Shuker of Great Britain, 6-1, 6-0, and did not allow the Brit a single service hold in six tries.
Dutchwoman Marjolein Buis awaits her in the semifinals. In one of four wheelchair matches on Court 7, Buis was efficient in a 6-2, 6-3 result over American Dana Mathewson, capitalizing on eight of her 11 break opportunities. Mathewson's US Open does not end here though, as she will take the court again in Saturday's women's doubles final with Aneik Van Koot of the Netherlands.
Van Koot remains alive in both the singles and doubles draws after a 6-4, 6-2 victory over South African Kgothatso Montjane. The Dutchwoman broke serve six times in nine return games, winning 53 percent of her return points on Court 11.
On the men's side, Gustavo Fernandez , the No. 1 seed from Argentina, outlasted Frenchman Nicolas Peifer, 1-6, 6-1, 7-5. After dropping serve twice in a 26-minute opening set, Fernandez found his rhythm on Court 7. In sets two and three, he would be broken just once while converting four break points of his own, two in each set.
He will take on another French opponent in the semifinal in Stephane Houdet, a quarterfinal winner over Stefan Olsson of Sweden. Houdet earned a more straightforward 6-3, 6-3 victory in just over an hour on Court 11, serving up 12 aces and breaking seven times in nine return games.
Reid, of Great Britain, made it a perfect day for the seeds, but like Fernandez, he had to come back from a set down to survive. Joachim Gerard of Belgium took the opening set in a tiebreak on Court 7, before Reid got back on track for the 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 win.
The Grandstand hosted the final match of the day, and it was Alfie Hewett setting up an all-British semifinal with a comeback win of his own over Japan's Shingo Kunieda. The two-hour, 18-minute contest ended after 8:30 PM, with Hewett still standing as a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 winner.
In the quad singles event, the second matches of the round-robin tournament were contested. American David Wagner stayed perfect to clinch his spot in the final with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Andrew Lapthorne on Court 11. Lapthorne, of Great Britain, levels out at with one win and one loss after two matches played.
Soon after, Australian Dylan Alcott picked up his first win of the tournament on Court 7 with a 6-2, 7-5 triumph over Bryan Barten of the United States. Barten remains winless after the loss, while Alcott evens his record. The Australian is defending his title from 2015, the last time this event was held, and will need to beat Lapthorne, the 2014 champ, for a chance to meet Wagner in the final.
Nine wheelchair matches are on tap for Saturday, inlcuding three doubles finals in the men's women's and quad events. The women's doubles final gets primetime billing as the nightcap in the Grandstand, with No. 1 seeds Buis and de Groot taking on Mathewson and Van Koot.
