Americans Kristie Ahn, Taylor Townsend among underdogs who win at U.S. Open

NEW YORK â€”  For every Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff who achieve early success, there are dozens of players who struggle through low-level tournaments to earn berths at big events and career-sustaining paychecks.

New York native Kristie Ahn, a wild-card entrant at the U.S. Open, made her Grand Slam debut here in 2008 but didn’t win a major match until this week. On Saturday, the 27-year-old Stanford graduate reached the fourth round with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Jelena Ostapenko and sobbed in joy on the Grandstand court.

“I’d be lying if I said, like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m so happy I didn’t find success right away,’� she said. “But to be transparent with myself, as well, I don’t know if I ever would have gotten this far if this had happened at a different time in my life. I feel like I’ve had a lot of closure with myself in different scenarios.�

Taylor Townsend, 23, was the top junior player in the world when U.S. Tennis Assn. executives refused to pay for her trip here in 2012 for “health reasons.� Translation: They thought she was overweight. She got into the Open this year as a qualifier and on Saturday, two days after she upset Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, Townsend advanced to the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Sorana Cirstea at Louis Armstrong Stadium. She came to the net 106 times against Halep and 75 against Cirstea, confident in her serve-and-volley game. She’s confident in herself, too.

“I wouldn’t change anything because I appreciate so much where I am, because I know where I came from. And I think it’s easy for people to forget where they came from,� she said. “I went one year and I won four matches in a calendar year. So I understand and I’m appreciative where I am and the growth I’ve made, because you’re able to kind of say this is where I came from and be able to not go through those same things again and you can kind of learn from your mistakes and move on.�

Croatia-born Donna Vekic knows the pitfalls of being a phenom. She cracked the top 100 when she was 16 but slipped and is still regaining her footing at age 23.

“I was putting so much pressure on myself. I thought I’d be making finals every week. That was not the case,� said Vekic, who reached the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan. “There were so many improvements to make and I definitely wasn’t aware of that when I was 16. There are a lot of amazing young girls coming up. I hope they have a good team around them that knows how to guide them in the tough times.�

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Bianca Andreescu of Canada, 19, continued her rise with a 6-4, 6-4 upset of Caroline Wozniacki. Andreescu, the highest-ranked teenager on the tour at No. 15, will face Townsend next.

“You see a lot of young players doing really well right now, and I think it’s really good for the game,� said Andreescu, who had shoulder problems after she won the Indian Wells title in March. “You see many fresh faces, and I think we’re only going to get better from here.�

Nadal cruises

No. 2 men’s seed Rafael Nadal hasn’t spent much time on the court here. He won his first-round match in straight sets and his second-round match by walkover before he beat Hyeon Chung of South Korea 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday. Nadal didn’t face a break point in reaching the fourth round here for the 11th time.

Whether it’s better to be rested or to play a lot and become match-tough is a toss-up. “You never know what’s better or worse, no? I am happy to be where I am. I’m in the fourth round, and that’s the main thing,� said Nadal, a three-time U.S. Open champion.

His next opponent will be Marin Cilic of Croatia, who ousted No. 14 John Isner of the U.S. 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Etc.

No. 26 Julia Goerges upset No. 7 Kiki Bertens 6-2, 6-3 to earn a fourth-round slot against Vekic. … No. 13 Belinda Bencic advanced when No. 21 Anett Kontaveit withdrew because of an acute viral illness. … Men’s No. 6 Alexander Zverev reached the fourth round by defeating Aljaz Bedene 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (3).