Alcaraz Builds Momentum, Sabalenka Persists and the Williams Sisters Say Goodbye to New York Again

Carlos Alcaraz completed his first week at the US Open with a straight-sets victory over China’s Yibing Wu, but the real test now awaits. The Spaniard beat the world No. 113 player 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the fourth round, where he will face American Tommy Paul on Sunday.

The match against Paul will offer a sharper measure of Alcaraz’s comeback. The former top-10 player is ranked 21st in the world, while Alcaraz has only recently returned after a wrist injury kept him away from competition for almost five months. Before beating Wu, he had also defeated Russia’s Roman Safiullin and Portugal’s Jaime Faria.

The day also brought signs of revival from Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, both of whom arrived in New York during difficult periods. Medvedev beat France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Tsitsipas defeated Czech player Jiri Lehecka to reach the fourth round in New York for the first time, and his first fourth round at a Grand Slam since the 2024 Australian Open.

Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry beat compatriot Mariano Navone, who had eliminated Novak Djokovic, and will next meet American Alex Michelsen. Michelsen advanced by defeating Spain’s Daniel Mérida. In the women’s draw, seventh-seeded Karolina Muchova and ninth-seeded Elena Svitolina became the first top-10 players eliminated in New York, while most of the leading names remained in the tournament.

Sabalenka beat Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 as she pursued a third straight US Open title. The Belarusian is also trying to protect the No. 1 ranking, which she has held for 98 weeks, although her continued stay at the top depends on her rivals’ results. Jessica Pegula and Linda Noskova also reached the fourth round. Venus and Serena Williams then fell to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint, 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7), after more than three hours on Arthur Ashe Stadium. They led the deciding super tie-break 5-0 before losing.