The US Open Tennis Championships has now entered its second week, with the final Grand Slam of the year having already provided its fair share of the sublime and the surprising.
After a sensational third round over the weekend saw a number of big-name stars dumped out, the fourth round has mostly stuck to the form book, with expected wins for Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, Jessica Pegula, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Taylor Fritz accompanying disappointing losses for Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina.
Women’s third round summary
Third-round action across Friday and Saturday saw positive outcomes for the top women as world number one Sabalenka overcame 31st seed Leylah Fernandez 6-3 7-6, second seed Świątek outlasted 29th seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 6-4, third seed Gauff blitzed 28th seed Magdalena Fręch 6-3 6-1, and fourth seed Pegula subdued Victoria Azarenka 6-1 7-5.
A trio of title outsiders also found success, with eighth seed Amanda Anisimova knocking out Jaqueline Cristian 6-4 4-6 6-2, ninth seed Rybakina triumphing over Emma Raducanu 6-1 6-2, and 11th seed Karolína Muchová dispatching 21st seed Linda Nosková 6-7 6-4 6-2.
In terms of upsets, Taylor Townsend surprised fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 7-5 6-2, Markéta Vondroušová overturned seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 7-6 6-1, Barbora Krejčíková shocked 10th seed Emma Navarro 4-6 6-4 6-4, 23rd seed Naomi Osaka floored 15th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-0 4-6 6-3, and Cristina Bucșa humbled 19th seed Elise Mertens 3-6 7-5 6-3.
Elsewhere, 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova savaged Laura Siegemund 6-0 6-1, 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia crushed Maria Sakkari 6-1 6-2, 27th seed Marta Kostyuk trumped Diane Parry 3-6 6-4 6-2, and Ann Li prevailed against Priscilla Hon 7-5 6-3.
READ MORE: Liverpool news: Reds manager Arne Slot praises team’s mentality in win over Arsenal
Men’s third round summary
On the men’s side, it was a similar story for the top players as world number one Jannik Sinner ousted 27th seed Denis Shapovalov 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-3, second seed Alcaraz smashed 32nd seed Luciano Darderi 6-2 6-4 6-0, fourth seed Fritz came through a test against Jérôme Kym, winning 7-6 6-7 6-4 6-4, and seventh seed Djokovic sent Cameron Norrie packing 6-4 6-7 6-2 6-3.
There was also joy for a quartet of pretenders, with eighth seed Alex de Minaur up 6-7 6-3 6-4 2-0 on Daniel Altmaier before the German retired, 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-2 2-0 to the good over 24th seed Flavio Cobolli before the latter also retired, 15th seed Andrey Rublev surviving a Coleman Wong test 2-6 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-3, and 20th seed Jiri Lehecka beating Raphael Collignon 6-4 6-4 6-4.
Surprises included 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime stunning third seed Alexander Zverev 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-4, Adrian Mannarino eclipsing sixth seed Ben Shelton via walkover with the match poised at 3-6 6-3 4-6 6-4, 23rd seed Alexander Bublik seeing off 14th seed Tommy Paul 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-7 6-1, and Jan-Lennard Struff upsetting 17th seed Frances Tiafoe 6-4 6-3 7-6.
Rounding things out, 21st seed Tomáš Macháč dealt with Ugo Blanchet 7-5 6-3 6-1, Arthur Rinderknech bested Benjamin Bonzi 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-2, Jaume Munar crunched Zizou Bergs 6-1 6-4 6-4, and Leandro Riedi moved past Kamil Majchrzak thanks to a walkover at 5-3 up.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Football transfer news: Newcastle land Woltemade, Garnacho heads to Chelsea and more
Świątek, Osaka join Sabalenka, Pegula in quarters
In the fourth round, defending champion Sabalenka routed Bucșa 6-1 6-4, taking just over an hour in Louis Armstrong Stadium to get the job done without so much as facing a break point.
“I’m not playing not to lose – I play to win,” the 27-year-old Belarusian told reporters post-match.
“I don’t care about what happened last year. I mean, of course it’s a big achievement, and I’m super happy I was able to achieve it once, but the goal is to do it many more times.
“My mentality is going out there every time with the best fighting spirit and just fight for my dream.”
Pegula, meanwhile, hammered Li 6-1 6-2 in Arthur Ashe Stadium to continue her quest for a first Grand Slam.
“I know when she’s serving well and has confidence she’s really dangerous,“ Pegula said of her opponent after the quick-fire 54-minute bout, as reported by the BBC.
“I felt like she came out a little slow and nervous, and I wanted to jump on that and not let her feel comfortable for a second – that was my motivation all match.”
The 31-year-old American added: “I felt really comfortable moving in and coming in at the right times. It doesn’t always feel that good, but it started well and I wanted to keep executing that until the last game.
“It’s a part of my game I can really use as a weapon. Sometimes I get stuck at the back because I’m so good there, but we’ve worked on that a lot and my coaches are happy when I’m finishing overheads and volleys at the net.”
Osaka then announced her return to Grand Slam quarter-finals for the first time since 2021 in style, putting on a brilliant display to turf out home favourite Gauff in a 6-3 6-2 triumph on Arthur Ashe.
“I’m a little sensitive and I don’t want to cry. Honestly, I just had so much fun out here,” the 27-year-old Japanese admitted during the on-court interview..
“I was in the stands two months after I gave birth to my daughter watching Coco. I just really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play.
“It’s definitely really special. Honestly, I look up to her [Gauff] a lot. I think the way that she conducts herself, I think it’s really special.
“To be such an amazing role model at such a young age is a gift and it’s a talent that she has and I have all the respect in the world for her.”
In other fourth-round ties, six-time Grand Slam winner Świątek destroyed Alexandrova 6-3 6-1, Anisimova creamed Haddad Maia 6-0 6-3, Muchová defeated Kostyuk 6-3 6-7 6-3, Vondroušová got the better of Rybakina 6-4 5-7 6-2, and Krejčíková saved an incredible eight match points on her way to dismantling Townsend 1-6 7-6 6-3.
READ NEXT: Ryder Cup 2025 news: Europe captain Luke Donald relishing ‘challenge’ vs USA
Sinner, Alcaraz, Fritz, De Minaur into last eight
Over in the men’s competition, Alcaraz avoided a potential banana peel in a clinical 7-6 6-3 6-4 win over Rinderknech on Arthur Ashe.
“At the beginning of the first set, it was tight. We didn’t have great points in the first set and it didn’t mean we were serving good because the percentage was really, really bad from both,” the 22-year-old Spanish star explained to the media afterwards.
“I just got the good rhythm from the second set and into good positions for the return. I tried to make the most of the opportunities he brought to the match. He gave me not too many.
“But I’m just really happy that at those points I just played really good tennis, aggressive, that I really enjoyed.”
Fritz, the last American man standing and 2024’s runner-up, then kept the fires burning for his nation with a 6-4 6-3 6-3 swatting aside of Macháč on Louis Armstrong.
“I had some battles in the last couple of matches,” the 27-year-old was quoted by Reuters as saying in the wake of the fourth-round clash.
“I felt very dialled in [against Macháč] … solid, aggressive at the right times.”
On local hopes going up in smoke, at least on the men’s side, he added: “It’s been a tough week for the guys. I wasn’t expecting that. I felt really good about our chances this week.
“I’m happy to be here and happy to be the last one standing. Hopefully, the crowd will get behind me and will get me through it.”
De Minaur was similarly imperious in a 90-minute, 6-3 6-2 6-1 demolition of Riedi, also on Louis Armstrong.
“I’m super proud of what I’m doing,” the 26-year-old claimed on-court.
“Ultimately, this is where I want to be, playing for the big titles. I want to be in contention.
“I’m putting myself in the right places. I’ve got another great opportunity coming up in the quarter-finals – I’m gonna go out and have a swing.”
When asked about his performance, the Australian added: “I was happy with my level, my focus. I knew he had some big, big shots and he’s had a hell of a week coming through qualies.
“I wish him nothing but the best, but I’m just happy to be through to the quarter-finals.”
Last-16 results also saw Sinner annihilate Bublik 6-1 6-1 6-1, 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic batter Struff 6-3 6-3 6-2, Musetti blast Munar 6-3 6-0 6-1, Lehecka end Mannarino’s tournament with a 7-6 6-4 2-6 6-2 triumph, and Auger-Aliassime vanquish Rublev 7-5 6-3 6-4.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: Roy Jones Jr wants ‘to officiate’ proposed Shaq-Mack boxing match
Adam Peaker 
Newsjustnews writers 
Carmela Calling