US Open recap: Sabalenka slams ‘joke’ reporter as party question strikes nerve

Four Aussies are in action tomorrow.

Dane Sweeny, Tristan Schoolkate, Alexei Popyrin, and Alex de Minaur will feature on Nine’s day five coverage.

There are some blockbusters also lined up which can be watched on Stan Sport.

See you tomorrow for more action!

Bye for now.

Carlos Alcaraz has cruised through to the third round of the US Open with a four set win over Portugal's Jaime Faria.

There were a couple of raised eyebrows when the Spaniard dropped the first set, but whatever he did in the break before the second set worked and he looked untouchable after that.

He looked a chance to win the match with a break, before Faria fought back to at least make Alcaraz serve for it.

And serve it out he did. Alcaraz booked his spot with a brilliant serve out wide Faria did well to get a racquet on, but it sailed skyward and deep.

It’s his 16th consecutive win at a grand slam, stretching back to last year’s US Open (he missed the French Open and Wimbledon with injury).

Despite the fact he's still on the comeback path from injury, Alcaraz is a huge chance to win this tournament.

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has just fired up at an American reporter following her second round 6-1, 6-1 cruise over Polina Iatcenko.

Here’s how the testy press conference exchange played out.

Q: Hi Aryna, well done tonight. I’m sort of curious, how are you finding like your mood now that the tournament has started? Obviously, last week it’s lots of parties and fun and stuff like that. Are you…

A: Oh, you guys are like a joke, party is fun. Like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? Like, what kind of question is that? Like, just because I posted like some activities with brands, and you think that I’ve been partying, not training?

Q: I’m not suggesting that you’re partying, I’m saying that there are a lot of events and things like that. I’m not saying you go to the parties.

A: You literally said that.

Q: Excuse me? For everyone who’s not clear, I’m not suggesting that Aryna is having fun at these parties. I’m saying that she makes a lot of appearances and there’s a lot to do and lots of events, OK?

A: OK. Move on.

Q: So now that the tournament started, do you find you’re getting quite serious and combative?

A: Oh yeah, I wasn’t serious before that. Next question.

Elina Svitolina finally beats Maya Joint 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 to reach the third round.

It took her five match points before the young Aussie relented.

Amazing tennis from both, what a match!

“It was an amazing match, they were really blasting the ball,” Aussie great Jelena Dokic says on Nine.

“There wasn’t much in it, just a bit of experience for Svitolina.

“(Joint is) young and I can’t wait to see more of her.”

Maya Joint is refusing to lay down!

Ukraine veteran Elina Svitolina produces some remarkable tennis and earns more match points, all of which are saved by Joint.

Joint has saved FOUR match points already and manages to hold her serve to remain just one break down in the third set.

“That’s an amazing effort... and on we go in this final set,” Sam Smith says.

Here we go!

Maya Joint gets one break back against Elina Svitolina.

She is still down a break, though.

“They are not getting overly excited in the Joint camp, because they know there’s a long way to go here,” Sam Smith says on Nine.

Sam Stosur is among those sitting in Joint’s box.

Reigning men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz was stunned in the first set by Jaime Faria.

He lost it 4-6 but has come out firing on all cylinders in the second and is up 4-0.

Well, Elina Svitolina seems to have gone up several levels to start the third set.

The veteran breaks straight away, and then very nearly breaks Maya Joint again.

She was up 40-0 in the third game before the young Aussie wins five straight points to win the game - phew!

Svitolina has been pulled out all the shots.

“Doubt she will hit a better backhand for the rest of the tournament,” Sam Smith says after one Svitolina shot.

“She has been ruthless in this department.”

GO YOU GOOD THING!

Having been pumped in the first set, Maya Joint has fought back to take the second and force a third.

The end of that second set was a spectacular battle! Joint really relied on her massive backhand to dictate the points and force Svitolina into errors.

Joint had the chance to serve for the set when up 5-4, before Svitolina broke back and then consolidated to put herself a game away from the match.

But Joint survived a deuce scare to force a tiebreaker, and what a see-sawing battle it was.

Svitolina got an early mini-break in the tiebreaker, but Joint got it back at 4-4. Both players went blow-for-blow until Joint put a backhand, which had been such a reliable weapon for the whole match, over the base line to give Svitolina match point.

But she saved it with a brilliant forehand winner that caught the baseline.

She got herself set point on her serve with Svitolina found the net. She won it when another shot sailed wide.

Can she do it again to clinch what would be one of the biggest wins of her short career?

Looking elsewhere for a moment, Carlos Alcaraz is in action against Portugal's Jaime Faria.

The first set is on-serve, with both players locked at 3-3.

Frances Tiafoe has just gone two sets to love up against Rei Sakamoto, and Stefanos Tsitsipas took four sets to get past South African Lloyd Harris.