Coco Gauff gave the home crowd a reason to celebrate at the US Open by moving into the round of 16, even as fellow Americans Taylor Fritz, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys suffered surprising defeats. The 2023 champion, now 22, was matched against world No.
40 Cristina Bucsa. Although Gauff was not playing at her absolute peak, she managed to grind out a 6-3, 6-4 victory and secure her place among the last sixteen competitors. Her next challenge will be a quarter‑final showdown with fellow American Iva Jovic. Reflecting on the match, Gauff noted the stark contrast between daytime and nighttime conditions, explaining that a mid‑set break forced her to accelerate her shot selection.
She described Bucsa as a crafty opponent who could vary the pace and disrupt rhythm, but expressed satisfaction with her own resilience despite not being at her best. While Gauff’s win was a bright spot, the day was otherwise bleak for the United States. Taylor Fritz, seeded ninth, appeared to be cruising toward the fourth round after taking a two‑set lead over Argentina’s Federico Cerundolo. The 28‑year‑old, a finalist two years earlier, had not dropped a set all week and seemed poised to join compatriots Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Alex Michelsen in the last‑16 field.
However, Cerundolo, who had pulled off a surprise triumph at Queen’s Club earlier in the summer, rallied from the brink, turning the contest into a five‑set thriller and eventually prevailing 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. The American men’s side continues to search for its first singles champion since Andy Roddick’s 2003 victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero. Tommy Paul, the 20th seed, now faces world No.
2 Carlos Alcaraz in what many analysts expect to be a genuine test of the defending champion’s form after returning from injury. Paul admitted he has played Alcaraz more than anyone else on tour and praised his opponent’s recent performances, while acknowledging that both Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner represent the toughest hurdles ahead.
Top seed Alexander Zverev also eased into the fourth round, dispatching Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6, 6-2. His next opponent will be 25th‑seeded Luciano Darderi, who earned his first hard‑court major fourth‑round appearance by beating Australian wild card Dane Sweeny 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Fourteenth‑seeded Learner Tien survived a grueling five‑set battle against Jakub Mensik, winning 6-3, 1-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. The match stretched into the early hours of Sunday morning, concluding around 1:30 a.m. in New York.
At 20, Tien became the youngest American to reach the US Open fourth round since Andy Roddick set the benchmark in 2002, matching that historic record. In another upset, Belgium’s 28th seed Alexander Blockx knocked out Italy’s fifth seed Flavio Cobolli with a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 victory, setting up a fourth‑round clash with Cerundolo. Madison Keys, the 2017 runner‑up, was left devastated after surrendering a commanding lead to fall 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 to China’s Qinwen Zheng.
Keys admitted that fear overtook her after the early dominance, causing her swing to falter and making the remainder of the match feel “really hard.” Amanda Anisimova, last year’s finalist, accumulated 46 unforced errors in a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Austrian Anastasia Potapova, ending her run prematurely. Among the other notable performances, French Open champion Mirra Andreeva (seeded fifth) defeated Czech Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) to book her first US Open fourth‑round appearance, where she will meet Potapova. Six‑time Grand Slam winner Iga Świątek dug deep to beat 25th seed Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3), describing the match as physically demanding with many long rallies.
In doubles news, the Williams sisters avoided a fine for declining media interviews after their loss to Maya Joint and Chan Hao‑ching. The veteran pair were beaten in three close sets in their first doubles match at Flushing Meadows in four years, but tournament officials indicated they would not be penalised for the media lapse.
Overall, the US Open continues to deliver drama both on and off the court. Live coverage remains available on Sky Sports from August 30, with streaming options on NOW and the Sky Sports App. Fans can also look forward to the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from September 25‑27, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.