NEW YORK (Reuters) – Jennifer Brady produced a fearless brand of tennis to topple 2016 champion Angelique Kerber 6-1 6-4 and reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time at the U.S. Open on Sunday.
Brady appeared firmly in control from the start, opening the campaign with an ace and utilising her monster forehand to break down Kerber’s defence.
A double fault followed by two errors from Kerber handed Brady a break for a 2-1 lead, with the American eventually closing out the set in 22 minutes.
A medical timeout to get her left thigh taped midway through the second set failed to distract Brady as she fended off two break points to hold her serve for a 5-3 lead.
She sealed the win with a powerful serve that Kerber returned long.
“(Kerber is) a great player, she makes you fight for every point,” said the 25-year-old Brady, who clinched her first WTA title last month.
“I came out, I knew what I wanted to do and I’m pretty proud of myself.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
