Svitolina and Muchova fall in US Open third round

Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova have been eliminated from the US Open, bringing the first major departures among the tournament’s top 10 seeds. The ninth-ranked Ukrainian and seventh-ranked Czech both lost in the third round on Friday, ending their campaigns before the event’s second week.

Emma Navarro, ranked 27th, defeated Muchova 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 46 minutes. Muchova, a Wimbledon finalist this year, was broken at 2-1 and 4-3 in the opening set before Navarro claimed another break at 5-5 in the second. The American, who reached the semi-finals in New York last year, will now meet Anna Kalinskaya in the last 16.

Kalinskaya also accounted for a higher-ranked opponent, beating Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 after one hour and 53 minutes. The 23rd-ranked Russian recovered from losing the final four games of the opening set by taking all four at the end of the second to level the match. Svitolina led 3-2 and was due to serve in the deciding set, but Kalinskaya won every remaining game. The result takes Kalinskaya into the US Open second week for the first time; she had already reached that stage at the other three Grand Slam tournaments.

Diana Shnaider, the 16th seed, also went out, losing 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 to Taylor Townsend. Townsend, ranked 96th in singles and second in doubles, will face Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round. Jessica Pegula, the third seed, survived Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 and remains in contention to take Sabalenka’s world number one ranking. Linda Noskova, the Wimbledon champion, reached her first US Open last 16 by beating Ann Li 6-2, 6-7, 6-2; Marta Kostyuk is next for the Czech.