Alcaraz, Sabalenka into US Open last 16

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka moved into the US Open last 16 with commanding victories, but the evening belonged to Serena and Venus Williams, whose long-awaited doubles return ended in a marathon defeat.

Alcaraz, the defending men's champion, beat China's Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Wu recovered an early break in each of the first two sets, but Alcaraz took both sets with breaks in their final games. After saving two break points in the opening game of the third set, the Spaniard pulled away.

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The way he plays is unbelievable, the rhythm he has on every shot, forehand, backhand

"The way he plays is unbelievable, the rhythm he has on every shot, forehand, backhand," Alcaraz said of Wu. "His balls skid a lot on the court and, for me, it's really difficult to control sometimes. But I think I stayed there. I played aggressive. I played smart in the toughest moments." Alcaraz next faces 20th-seeded American Tommy Paul, who defeated Alexander Bublik in five sets.

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His balls skid a lot on the court and, for me, it's really difficult to control sometimes. But I think I stayed there. I played aggressive. I played smart in the toughest moments.

World number one Sabalenka, the defending women's champion, beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 without facing a break point. She hit 29 winners and 10 aces, though the match became a fierce second-set contest against the 92nd-ranked player. Sabalenka also complained to the umpire about the smell of marijuana drifting from the stands. She next plays American Taylor Townsend, who defeated Diana Shnaider.

Sabalenka must win the tournament again to have a chance of remaining number one. "It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best," she said.

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I think my level is really good. I've got into the rhythm of the competition. I'm getting there.

The Williams sisters then drew the evening crowd. Serena returned from a four-year retirement to play at Wimbledon, and she and Venus were partnering in a Grand Slam doubles event for the first time since 2022. The 14th-seeded team of Taiwan's Chan Hao-ching and Australia's Maya Joint defeated them 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/7) after three hours. Serena and Venus, who have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals together, recovered from the opening-set loss but fell in the deciding tiebreak.

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It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best