US Open 2024 day seven: Draper and Pegula in action, Muchova beats Paolini – live | US Open Tennis 2024

Next on Armstrong: Caroline Wozniacki v Beatriz Haddad Maia (22).

Draper says it’s been a tough battle previously against Machac but today he played pretty well and his opponent was a little off. He lost at this stage last year so is glad to have improved on that, and before his first quarter, he just needs to keep going – he loves his team, loves the fans and loves the big stages.

Asked about Andy Murray, he says he misses him in the changing room and being next to his “stinky clothes and stinky shoes”, but if he has half the career, he’ll be happy.

Finally, asked about Machac’s short shorts, he says it’s important to be different and show not just your tennis style but your style in general. He’s meant to be really sound and every time I hear him speak that becomes more apparent.

Jack Draper (25) beats Tomas Machac 6-3 6-1 6-2

Now then! Machac makes 15-40 but hooks a forehand just wide to lose his first break point, then a serve out wide and clean-up volley confiscate the second. An ace to set up match point follows, and this is serious stuff from Draper.

Machac forces Draper to serve for the match, and that’s no small achievement. He’ll be telling himself he can win but he knows it’s over and he’ll be desperate for this tousing to end. It can be lonely out there – as Nuno Borges is remembering too, down two breaks and 0-3 to Medvedev.

Coach Calv said this wouldn’t be close and Medvedev breaks Borges immediately, then consolidates for 2-1 in the first. As for Draper, he saves break point with a backhand volley then another with an ace – both on advantage – then yet another forehand winner down the line secures 6-3 6-1 5-1 and he’s a game away from the last eight. His ability to stay calm under pressure is extremely impressive.

Oh dear. On deuce, Machac sends down a double and second later he’s down two sets and two breaks. Draper has been so patient and consistent, not going for too much but if it’s there, doing so with zealous prejudice. He leads 6-3 6-1 4-1 and he’s almost in the quarters, a statement performance behind him.

On Ashe, Borges and Medvedev are away…

Draper consolidates for 2-0 in no time and at the risk of being previous, it’s hard not to look forward. Next for him if he wins is Thompson of De Minaur, both of whom are good, neither of whom are unbeatable, and once you’re in the last four who knows – never mind if you’re in the last four with his serve and power.

Ach, poor Machac has gone. Down break point, he swipes a forehand wide, and Draper is all over him at 6-3 6-1 1-0; if he can keep focused, he’ll be back in the changing room in less than half an hour while, at change of ends, Machac races over for a ruckus with his coach.

Marion said Draper would need to play pretty much perfectly to beat Machac and, so far, it looks like she was half-right: he is playing pretty much perfectly, but were he not he’d still probably be winning. He holds to 30 and now leads 6-3 6-1; this is brilliant from the British no 1 , who is still to drop a set in the competiton.

Meantime Draper breaks again for 6-3 5-1 and looks to be hitting his best form at the business end. I don’t see how Machac can win from here.

“Borges-Medvedev will be a grindfest” advises Coach Calv. “Borges is a great lad and a good player. But he’s no chance.”

Next on Ashe: Nuno Borges v Daniil Medvedev (5).

Pegula says she’s felt more pressure this year because she did so well in the lead-up. But she enjoys the pressure and says it’s great being American and getting the support, is hoping to bring her best tennis in the later rounds, and has worked really hard on her movement so she can get pulled out of court but not out of the point, keeping pressure on her opponent; with how the girls move, you have to get faster and stronger every day. She’s not yet made a grand slam semi, but “every match is every match” so the occasion doesn’t make loads of difference to her.

Jessica Pegula (6) beats Diana Shnaider (18) 6-4 6-2

Pegula is a good player but lacks the weapons to beat the best ones on the biggest occasions. That’s why it took Caroline Wozniacki so long to win a major, which on the one hand shows how hard it is, the other that it’s possible. She makes 40-15, raising two match points…

Pegula breaks again and, as in set one, she’ll serve at 5-2 – only this time it’s for the match.

Pegula has consolidated to lead Shnaider 6-4 3-2, while Machac earns his first break point of the match having made advantage from 40-15; Draper saves himself with a big serve then consecutive forehand winners monstered into the corner secure his consolidation. He leads 6-3 3-0.

Down 0-30, Machac fights back to parity … then chucks down a double. But on break point, Draper opens the angle for that monstrous forehand down the line, only to go slightly wide. He’s gifted another go, though, by a backhand into the net, and though his return isn’t great, when Machac marches in to put away, he goes wide looking to make sure! Draper leads 6-3 2-0 and this is going perfectly for him so far.

A lovely touch from Draper, slicing a backhand drop, gives him 40-15 and from there he closes out for 6-3 1-0. He’s looking so strong from the back and Machac is struggling to make an impression.

Oh and as I type, Pegula breaks to lead 6-4 2-1. Shnaider is asking plenty of questions, but doesn’t quite have the consistency or brilliance to impose herself.

I’ll level with you, after the first two games I wondered if Machac had Draper’s number. Since then, though, it’s been one-way traffic and at 15-40, the Brit has two set points. But both are saved, but then two unforced and kind of wild errors from Machac hand over the first set, Draper leading 6-3 and playing nicely, ceding few errors and taking on winners when appropriate.

Down 0-15, Draper punishes a forehand winner down the line; his hitting partner said he was practising those shots earlier today and I guess it makes sense because if he goes cross, he makes it easier for Machac, who moves and hits beautifully, to attack the space. He consolidates to 30, racing in to put away a backhand, and looks pretty decent at 5-3. Back on Ashe, meanwhile – and I’d be vexed if I’d paid to be there to see matches less obviously interesting than those on Armstrong – Pegula leads 6-4 1-1.

Now then. Draper makes 15-30 then Machac misses from on top of the net – I didn’t see that coming – and when he goes long off the forehand, he cedes the first break! I thought it’d take more but Draper leads 4-3 ion the first.

It doesn’t come easily and she has to survive a break-back point to do it – with a brave backhand winner cross-court – but Pegula eventually serves out a 6-4 first set.

Here’s a heartwarming yarn for the sneaker heads among youse: the other day, Draper, who now trails 1-2, was wearing a pair of the original Agassi Nikes which have just been released limited edition, so Coach Calv complimented them. Next day, Draper – who seals a comfy hold with an ace as I type – had got him a pair.

By the way, Harriet Dart and her partner Diane Parry have been beaten in the women’s doubles by Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova.

Snaider retrieves one break then holds for 4-5, forcing Pegula to serve for the set a second time. Meanwhile, Draper holds through advantage – and has to play some tremendous tennis so to do. This looks like it could be a seriously sapping, intense contest.

Machac – who’s 3-0 against Draper, though their only recent meeting was on clay – is indeed exhibiting the quads by way of short shorts and he holds to love, sealing his 1-0 with an ace. Pegula, meanwhile, consolidates and breaks, up 5-2 in the first.

Marion Bartoli thinks Draper will have to play almost perfectly to beat Machac, who she says moves well and has a good chance of handing what he does best. But Feliciano Lopez thinks the Brit has more weapons – likewise Calv, who says “If he’s physically all there I think he’ll have too much.”

On the matchup itself – and on De Minaur v Thompson – he says “There’s not much interesting tactically in either though. They’ll just slug it out.”

Pegula breaks again as Draper and Machac come on to Armstrong. “He’s very solid,” says Coach Calv – whose Wimbledon-champ charge, Herny Patten, is next on Court 5 – of the Czech. “Doesn’t miss much. Very talented lad. Loves to show off the quads.”

Pegula breaks for 2-1 but Shnaider immediately breaks back and these two look pretty well-matched.

We’re away on Ashe where Shnaider and Pegula have both held so it’s 1-1 in the first.

Next on Armstrong: Jack Draper (25) v Tomas Machac.

Muchova says the plan was to play her game. She was nervous at the start, it was windy and Paolini is an incredible player, so she’s happy to have won. She didn’t play for 10 months after making last year’s semis but loves tennis so did all she could to make it back, thanking all those who helped her; “I’m a really happy kid right now,” she concludes.

Karolina Muchova beats Jasmine Paolini (5) 6-3 6-3

Paolini loses an overhead in the sun, then Muchova guides a leaping forehand winner down the line – she wants this over forthwith. And though Paolini makes 15-30 with a big serve/overhead combo, another error hands Muchova two match points…

Muchova finds first deliveries when she needs them, quickly making 40-0, then another is returned into the net and at 6-4 5-3, she’s a game away having hit just one ball in the game that wasn’t a serve.

Muchova gets to 0-30, but an error then a lovely volley from Paolini bring us back level in the game. For all the good it does her: down 30-40, she can’t control her response to a Muchova forehand to the corner, and at 3-6 3-4 with a break, she’s very close to out.

Shnaider (8) and Pegula (6) arrive on to Ashe, so they’ll soon be away – it’d be nice if one of the Sky channels would show this match instead of both showing Muchova v Paolini so I don’t have to watch it on my phone, but it appears no one’s advised Uncle Rupert of this necessity. Meantime, Paolini makes 15-30 then cedes three quick points to bring us back level at 3-3 in set two.

A love-hold apiece meaning Muchova leads 6-2 2-3. Both players are serving well, so this set could come down to a point here or there.

Another hold for Paolini, and at change of ends we see a graphic showing us that Muchova’s average position is on the baseline; Martina reckons that’s making it hard for Paolini to respond because the balls are getting to her quicker and faster. But she leads 2-1 in the second, Muchova by one set to love.

I love Paolini but Muchova is the better player and dictating more of the points. Set two though, opens with a hold apiece, the Czech leading 6-3 1-1.

Paolini makes 0-15 but Muchova is so chill out there and very quickly raises two set points, a high-kicking serve especially effective against her diminutive opponent. And from there, Muchova comes in, puts away, and five games in a row means she takes the first set 6-3! That was very impressive and it’s clear she can play better.

She’s not at her best yet but Muchova has settled and it feels like the match is on her racket in that she’s controlling more of the play and ending more of the rallies, wherher by winner or error. She holds for 4-3 then hits a terrific winner on the return for 15-all; an error from Paolini then gives her 15-30 before she wins a net exchange with the daintiest of volleys. The first break point goes with a backhand into the net and the second via shanked return – the ball was there for her – but when a mishit return loops up, Paolini overhits her swing-volley putaway and at 5-3, Muchova will now serve for the first set! What a turnaround!

Now Muchova holds easily, but can she make an impression on the Paolini serve? So far, she’s made too many unforced errors to ask the questions she’ll have prepared, but she makes 30-all and then plays a lovely point, a drop giving her the chance to hoist a lob that’s too good; break-back point. But another unforced error on the return, cedes the opportunity. No matter: Paolini goes long on the forehand and on advantage, she tries a drop, Muchova getting it back deep and blocking back a ball deliberately whacked at her, before tidying up. We’re back on serve at 3-3 in the first.

Paolini consolidates easily and it’s just ridiculous how good she’s got all of a sudden. I mean, obviously the raw materials were there, but they’d been there for years – she’s 28! I can’t remember the last time a player had such a glow-up so late in their career.

This match is such high fashion Anna Wintour is in to enjoy it.

Two errors give Paolini 0-30, then at 0-40 second serve barely struggles over the net. And though the return is out, Muchova then nets at 30-40 and it’s the Italian with the early advantage, up 2-1 with a break.

An ace onto the outside of the line gets Paolini 30-0, then Muchova nails a forehand pass down the line, on the run; brilliant shot. Then, at 30-all, Muchova plays a good approach only to notch her putaway, and from there Paolini seals the hold with a booming forehand. Muchova, though, will be irritated she didn’t raise break point because she’d done all the hard work in the rally. But it’s 1-1 and already, this is shaping up.

Muchova holds for 1-0 and I’d expect her to really attack the Paolini serve

I can’t wait for this match. I reckon Muchova will want to keep Paolini moving. Except she’s really good at moving, so I’d not be surprised to see her regularly hauled in to the net rather than just allowed to race side to side and unleash. Paolini, I imagine, will want to clout forehands into corners.

Our players are out on Armstrong and the good news is that Martina is on co-comms.

In her post-match press conference, Gauff said she thought the problem was mental not technical, saying she can hit 30 serves in practice and nail them all. But I’m not sure you can separate them, because we all saw her shoulder dropping yesterday, an issue which might be exacerbated by the match situation but which definitely exists.

On the telly, they’re discussing Coco Gauff, whose performance yesterday wasn’t always easy to watch. Laura Robson suggests she take the rest of the season off to address the technical fault with her serve and Martina agrees that might be a smart plan. Thinking back to her own career, she says she didn’t know you could have time off so she didn’t, but now she knows you can, she thinks a break might do Gauff well.

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Preamble