US Open 2024 day three: Dart v Kostyuk, Rublev v Rinderknech, and more – live

Kostyuk does the decent thing, earning set point before unloading a monstrous forehand winner inside-out from the corner. She leads 7-6 and surely can’t play any worse in the second; Dart needs to forget that breaker quickly because in it, her first serve deserted her, and she wound up wasting six set points.

Dart earns set point with some decent forehand thrashing, then cedes it going long after again failing to land a first serve. Someone, please: put this set out of its misery.

Dart does well to reach for a return, Kostyuk overhits the swing volley … then Dart sends down a double to burn yet another set point. “It’s very stressful out there,” says our co-commentator – I’m not certain who it is but she’s right because when a Dart error hands Kostyuk a chance to seal the breaker, she too disburses a double.

Back on Court 6, Dart leads Kostyuk 5-3 in their first-set breaker and conjures a glorious backhand pass cross-court to raise three set points. And she gets close to taking the first, stepping in to whack a forehand only to wipe another wide when up in the rally. Gosh, then Kostyuk saves the second, pasting an inside-out backhand return past Dart for a clean winner … and a third when Dart nets at the end of a long exchange. We’re level at 6-6 6-6.

On Armstrong, Sabalenka and Bronzetti have just started, the number two seed up 2-1 on serve, while on Grandstand, so too have Shelton and Bautista Agut, the American leading 1-0. Elsewhere, Popyrin leads Martinez 6-2 0-1 with a break, Jovic is up 6-4 on Alexandrova, and Shang is dominating Carballes Baena, 6-2 6-3 in front.

Given the heat, the umpire allows the players to go and change for a second time.

Rinderknech, who’s never beaten a top-10 player, makes 30-0, Rublev hitting the backcloth in remonstration; a mahoosive forehand down the line raises three break points … AND rinderknech only needs one! He claims an 83-minute set to lead 6-4 7-5!

The problem Dart has is that she lacks major weapons, so has nothing to rely when under pressure. And after Kostyuk makes advantage, she hooks a forehand wide, and we’ll now enjoy a first-set breaker.

Meantime Dart is serving for the set leading Kostyuk 6-5, but she’s down 0-30….

Thanks Will and hi again. Rinderknech has break point on the Rublev serve, leading 6-4 5-5 … and he takes it! Rublev, who’s only winning a third of points on second serve, sends down another nondescript delivery, the Frenchman climbs into it, and after only recently serving to stay in the set, he’ll now serve for it!

Right, time to hand you back to Daniel Harris. Enjoy the rest of the action.

Wang Yafan beats Diane Parry 6-0, 6-4

Dart finds herself serving for the first set, but wobbles at the crucial moment. Kostyuk powers back at her, levelling the set at 5-5.

Rinderknech saves two set points against Rublev, eventually holding serve to make it 6-4, 5-5. It’s turning into quite the match, this.

Rublev has broken back against Rinderknech and now leads 5-4 in the second set. Can his opponent wrest back momentum on serve?

Qinwen Zheng beats Erika Andreeva 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-2

On Court 5, Dart is a break up against Kostyuk in the first set. A strong start.

Zheng has a double break against Andreeva! She’ll now serve for the match.

Alexander Zverev beats Alexandre Müller 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-1

Zverev has broken Müller again, racing to triple match point. Müller saves the first with an excellent return …

On Court 17, Arthur Rinderknech has just lashed a forehand winner to break Andrey Rublev in the second set. The Frenchman is now 6-4, 4-3 up on serve.

Tumaini Carayol was in attendance for Emma Raducanu’s disappointing defeat to Sofia Kenin earlier. Here’s his take on the match.

Zverev breaks Müller and their match appears to be going one way, and one way only. The German is closing on the third round.

Qinwen Zheng, who fought back so valiantly in the first round to beat Amanda Anisimova, now has a break in the third set against Erika Andreeva having again lost the first.

Alexander Zverev won his second-set tiebreak against Alexandre Müller 7-5, with the German on serve at 1-1 in the third. He’s well in charge now.

Frances Tiafoe progresses as Alexander Shevchenko retires

Tomás Martín Etcheverry beats Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3

Harriet Dart is up next on Court 5, with the British contender taking on Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.

Brandon Nakashima beats Arthur Cazaux 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Lehecka beats Krueger 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5

*Lehecka 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-5 Krueger (denotes server) Lehecka starts with an opening ace, then wins a big rally to make it 30-0. Krueger fights back with a killer volley to pull it back to 30-15. Lehecka passes him from deep behind the baseline with a chunky forehand. He now has two match points …

Hello! So, what’s going on? Jiri Lehecka has just earned a crucial break against Mitchell Krueger in the fifth set of their ding-dong on Court 5. He’ll now serve for the match.

Righto, I’m off for a break; Will Magee is here to chill with you through the next hour, including a likely Muller-Zverev tiebreak, the latter taking advantage as I speak with an ace…

Muller holds for 4-6 6-5, and Zverev must now serve to stay in set two; Zheng, meantime, has won set two 6-1 against Andreeva to set up a decider and Tiafoe has broken Shevchenko to lead 6-4 4-1.

I might actually move from Shevchenko v Tiafoe because Rinderknech has taken the first set off Rublev 6-4 and I very much doubt the number six seed is taking it well. And when I look in, I see that Rinderknech has sloped off for a rest, leaving Rublev mooching about in the sun, looking pale.

After Krueger v Lehecka, Harriet Dart takes to the court, but that might be a while yet – it’s 4-4 on serve in the decider, the match up to three hours 39 minutes. “Pathetic,” sighs Dan Evans from his hotel room.

Shevchenko has to plough through deuce for the hold that gives him 4-6 1-1, but he gets there in the end, while Muller and Zverev are locked at 4-4 in set two. As I said, though, you feel like you know how this’ll eventually shake down, later if not sooner.

Zheng has responded well to going a set down to Andreeva, up 4-1 in the second; Rublev has broken rinderknech back for 4-4; Krueger and Lehecka are 3-3 in the fifth; Nakashima leads Cazaux 6-4 6-4 1-1; Cerundolo and Etcheverry are 1-1 in the fifth; and, as I type, Muller hangs on to his serve through deuce, trailing Zverev 4-6 4-3.

Shevchenko has a quite peculiar headband, and almost as bad, he gets himself broken serving at 4-5; Tiafoe takes set one and doesn’t look impregnable, but it’ll take a better performance to beat him than the one he’s facing.

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