Ahn, Townsend advance to US Open fourth round, American WTA players excel at Grand Slams in 2019

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With wildcard Kristie Ahn and qualifier Taylor Townsend advancing to the fourth round of the US Open on Saturday, ten different American women have reached the round of 16 at a Grand Slam event in 2019.

Kristie Ahn

The 27-year-old Ahn is playing in her fourth career Grand Slam main draw, advancing out of the first round for the first time in her career. The world No.141 made her US Open debut way back in 2008, but this is the first time since then that she’s played in the event’s main draw. Today, the American, whose parents immigrated from Korea, defeated 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 7-5 to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, while in the first round her victim was another Grand Slam winner, Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Ahn earned her wildcard through the USTA’s US Open Wildcard Challenge and is the first Challenge winner, male or female, to reach the round of 16 at the US Open in eight years of the Challenge.

Taylor Townsend

The 23-year-old Townsend, the only qualifier to advance to the third round, got one step further on Saturday with a victory over Sorana Cirstea 7-5 6-2. In her previous match, the world No.116 American saved a match point and came to the net 106 times to upset fourth seed Simona Halep for the first Top 10 victory of her career.

Ahn and Townsend also made it 10 American women to have reached the round of 16 or better at a Grand Slam event in 2019:

  1. Serena Williams (QF, Australian Open; F, Wimbledon; R16+, US Open)
  2. Sloane Stephens (R16, Australian Open; QF, French Open)
  3. Madison Keys (R16, Australian Open; QF, French Open; R16+, US Open)
  4. Danielle Collins (SF, Australian Open)
  5. Amanda Anisimova (R16, Australian Open; SF, French Open)
  6. Alison Riske (QF, Wimbledon)
  7. Coco Gauff (R16, Wimbledon)
  8. Sofia Kenin (R16, French Open)
  9. Kristie Ahn (R16+, US Open)
  10. Taylor Townsend (R16+, US Open)

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