Canada’s Leylah Fernandez has been eliminated from the U.S. Open following a defeat to third seed Jessica Pegula of the United States in the third round on Friday. Fernandez, a 23-year-old from Laval, Que., started strongly at Arthur Ashe Stadium by winning the first set 6-1. However, Pegula fought back to win the next two sets 6-4, 6-3, securing the victory in two hours and 10 minutes.

Fernandez, the U.S. Open runner-up in 2021, is still competing in the doubles event alongside Indonesia’s Janice Tjen. They are scheduled to face ninth seeds Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia in the second round on Saturday.

In another match, Carlos Alcaraz defeated China’s Yibing Wu in straight sets and will continue his campaign to defend the U.S. Open title when he faces Tommy Paul in the fourth round.

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka faced a tough challenge but managed to defeat Kamilla Rakhimova to advance to the fourth round. Sabalenka will now face Taylor Townsend in the Round of 16 as she aims to win her third consecutive U.S. Open title.

Meanwhile, Serena and Venus Williams were eliminated from the U.S. Open women’s doubles after losing in a match tiebreaker to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint. The Williams sisters, former dominant forces in women’s doubles, faced a tough battle but ultimately fell short in the deciding tiebreaker.

Later on Friday, Ben Shelton secured a fourth-round spot by defeating Denis Shapovalov in four sets. Shelton, inspired by the pro-American crowd, overcame Shapovalov in a match that lasted over three hours. He will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round.