Sevastova halts Sharapova

New York : Maria Sharapova’s Grand Slam return after a 15-month doping ban ended with a fourth-round defeat at the US Open but the former world number one considered it a major step in her comeback. Latvian 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova on Sunday night rallied to eliminate the five-time Grand Slam champion 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, booking a quarterfinal against American Sloane Stephens, who ousted Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Sharapova, the 2006 US Open winner, was able to find the positives after making 51 unforced errors to only 14 by Sevastova, whose 21 winners were half the 30-year-old Russian’s total. “Reflecting back on the week, I can be happy,” Sharapova said. “It has been a really great ride. Ultimately, I can take a lot from this week.”

Monday night’s other quarterfinal will match Czech 13th seed Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, against US ninth seed Venus Williams, seeking her eighth Slam title and third US Open crown. Kvitova eliminated Spanish third seed and two-time Slam winner Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (3), 6-3 while Williams beat 35th-ranked Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Williams is the oldest woman entered at 37 but was this year’s Wimbledon and Australian Open runner-up. She hasn’t reached three Slam finals in a year since 2002.

Kvitova, 4-1 all-time against Williams, missed five months after a knife-wielding home intruder injured her left hand last December. “I worked hard to come back and be here. It means a lot,” Kvitova said. “I don’t have words to describe. It was a tough time. All five months were very tough. “It was just a journey I didn’t know how it would end. If it ends here on the big stage it’s a happy end.”

Muguruza still leads the fight for world number one after the Open but will be overtaken if fourth seed Elina Svitolina makes the semifinals or top seed Karolina Pliskova reaches the final. Stephens missed 11 months with a foot injury and returned only at Wimbledon, but has won 12 of her past 14 matches for her deepest US Open run in six tries. “I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better comeback,” Stephens said. “Making it to the quarterfinals here is unbelievable.”

In a men’s draw assured of producing a first-time Slam finalist, Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta meets Argentine 29th seed Diego Schwartzman in the last-eight while South African 28th seed Kevin Anderson meets US 17th seed Sam Querrey, who beat German 23rd seed Mischa Zverev 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Anderson matched his best Slam run from the 2015 US Open by beating Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4.

Carreno Busta, who has not dropped a set, ended Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Denis Shapovalov’s dream run 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3). Shapovalov would have been the youngest Slam quarterfinalist since Michael Chang at the 1990 French Open and youngest at the US Open since Andre Agassi in 1988. Schwartzman eliminated French 16th seed Lucas Pouille 7-6 (3), 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Fourth round results (prefix denotes seeding): Men’s singles: 17-Sam Querrey (US) bt Mischa Zverev (Ger) 6-2, 6-2, 6-1; 28-Kevin Anderson (Rsa) Paolo Lorenzi (Ita) 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4; 12-Pablo Carreño-Busta (Esp) bt Denis Shapovalov (Can) 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3); 29-Diego Schwartzman (Arg) bt 16-Lucas Pouille (Fra) 7-6 (3), 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Women: 9-Venus Williams (US) bt Carla Suárez Navarro (Esp) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; 13-Petra Kvitova (Cze) bt 3-Garbiñe Muguruza (Esp) 7-6 (3), 6-3; Sloane Stephens (US) bt 30-Julia Goerges (Ger) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; 16-Anastasija Sevastova (Lat) bt Maria Sharapova (Rus) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.