The Indianapolis Colts are on the road to take on the Houston Texans for their week eight game, Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.
The Colts come into week eight having won four of their last five. A lot of Colts fans (and writers/bloggers/podcasters/YouTubers) have been riding that high and I feel like I’m living on an island, all alone, with my firm belief that this Colts team is not as good as it’s record. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy this team is above .500 in late October. That is fantastic. But had the Colts not played a rookie in his third game (Caleb Williams), a retread that has since been benched for what’s left of Russell Wilson (Justin Fields), Will Levis and the all-star combo that was Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle last week against the Dolphins, well I’m not sure this team would have won any of those games. But the fact of the matter is, you can only play who is on your schedule and the Colts went out and won those games.
So I don’t mean to take anything away from the team.
This week I’ve seen people point out that the Texans only won by two points in week one and how last week C.J. Stroud threw for a career low 86 yards. They’re missing a great wide receiver in Nico Collins and their defense is missing multiple star players as well. And that’s all true but this Colts defense is bad. Very, very bad. Zaire Franklin is playing the worst football of his career. He isn’t getting off blocks and I don’t care how many tackles he ended up with last week, how many of them came before the back was 4-6 yards beyond the line of scrimmage? You don’t need to actually go look, it wasn’t many. Even the defense’s best plays from a week ago were from fluky fumbles that were caused after a Miami back had already picked up a big chunk of yards.
Had the Colts played better quarterbacks, frankly, I don’t know that they would have won a single game this year. And yes I just got done lambasting the run defense and you might be wondering how I’m making that connection. That’s fair. But when the Colts do manage to prevent the opposing running back from picking up a first down on either first or second down runs, often that opposing team chooses to throw on third down. Bad quarterbacks don’t often convert on third down. C.J. Stroud, despite his play last week and Collins’ absence, is unfortunately, a very good quarterback.
After watching Anthony Richardson last week, I also feel completely alone in the online Colts world. First let me say, Richardson was bad. There. Got that out of the way.
But it is wild to me the way people are talking about why he was bad.
I feel like I’m the only one who remembers week two against the Green Bay Packers. When he was sailing passes to wide open receivers and then when asked about it, he more or less said that he was working through things too quickly, getting excited and trying to rush the throw which was making the ball come out wildly.
So last week was it the same thing? No! His throws were mostly on target. He had one or two off target throws, but every quarterback will have one or two they’d like back. So what was it last week? Everything he threw came out late. He slowed down, way down, too slow. He worked his reads, found the open man, got his feet right and threw the ball. The problem wasn’t his accuracy it was that from the time he found his receiver to when he actually made the throw it took too much time, allowing the defensive backs to make a jump and break up the passes.
THIS IS FANTASTIC NEWS!
Not because the result was bad. Not because the balls were deflected. Not because we had to listen to another week of narrative based “analysis” but because he took a problem he had the last time he played a full game and he fixed it in the next one. He is working through a problem he (and probably his coaches) identified and he’s fixing things week to week. This is what progression looks like. It isn’t always that things just get better. Sometimes you have to suck at something in a different way before you figure out what works and the process is happening right in front of our eyes and it sure feels like everyone is missing it.
Little known online fact about me (I think) I coached gymnastics for almost a decade. I mostly coached bars and floor (I’m a big guy who was good at spotting the kids, I was most useful on those two events) but every now and then I would find myself working with kids on vault or beam. I, after a near decade of coaching, still don’t know that much about beam, I won’t get into it here but just know, I don’t. The one thing I do know is that when a kid is learning a new skill and is consistently falling off of the beam on the same side, you convince them to fall off of the beam on the other side. Every time I told a kid to fail, but just differently, I would get confused looks and every time they successfully fell off the beam on the “other” side, I would then tell them to split the difference and land on the beam the next time they did the skill. And guess what? Normally that worked.
Sometimes you have to fail multiple ways to understand how you can succeed, before you actually succeed.
I don’t know if Anthony Richardson is going to be a good quarterback. I hope he will be. But I am sure that he is progressing and it feels like no one in the football world is noticing.
Either way I expect the Colts to lose this game, mostly due to the defense. Unless Richardson puts it all together this week (unlikely) and the offense is dominant, I expect this to be a rough watch for Colts fans. I hope I’m wrong.
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Colts Inactives
This is your week eight open thread so hang out here, chat, celebrate, commiserate, and argue in the comments! Go wild (within reason)!
A family exits a Spirit Halloween store operating in a former Best Buy.
Paul Weaver | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Some Spirit Halloween locations will be busy for longer than usual this year.
Spirit Halloween will operate 10 stores through the entire holiday season as “Spirit Christmas,” a spokesperson confirmed with CNBC.
Instead of the company’s usual strategy of renting abandoned storefronts only long enough to host the Halloween-specific retailer, 10 stores around the Northeast will open through the end of the year. The company’s flagship store in Mays Landing, N.J., will open on Oct. 18, while the other nine locations will open in early November, the spokesperson said. Not all stores will be converted from existing Spirit Halloween locations.
“Spirit Christmas is a new concept for us, and we’re hopeful it will resonate with our customers,” a spokesperson for Spirit Halloween told CNBC. “Our goal is to create a festive retail experience that captures the spirit of the season, much like we do for Halloween.”
Each store will have holiday inflatables and decor, but they will not all have the same experiences. The new stores won’t just replace fake skulls and costumes with wrapping paper and stockings, they will also have activities like photographs with a real-life Santa and letter writing to the North Pole.
The first 10 locations will act as a test to see whether customers will stay invested through the holiday season.
Holiday sales are a lucrative space, but not certain bet for the company. Spending grew 3.8% year over year to $964.4 billion in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation.
Deloitte estimates that holiday retail sales will increase 2.3% to 3.3% in 2024, but expects a higher jump of 7% to 9% for e-commerce, which the Spirit Christmas test stores will not support. Amazon is already sizing up for the holidays with plans to hire 250,000 workers for the season, the same number as last year.
Holiday spending could also be affected by a tense presidential election in November and a historically tumultuous season of hurricanes in progress.
The men’s final of this year’s China Open was billed as a battle between two titans and it definitely didn’t disappoint.
After three grueling sets, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz emerged victorious over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, winning 6-7 6-4 7-6 to claim his 16th ATP Tour title.
The pair produced some incredible rallies throughout the pulsating match, further underlining why they are arguably the two best players in the world right now.
Despite now beating Sinner in all three of their games this season, world No. 3 Alacaraz was full of praise for the Italian.
“It was a really close match,” the 21-year-old said after the win.
“Jannik, once again, he showed that he’s the best player in the world, at least for me. The level that he’s playing, it’s unbelievable. It’s a really high quality of tennis. Of shots, physically, mentally, he’s a beast.”
Both men shared all four grand slam titles this year – Sinner winning the Australian Open and US Open, while Alcaraz won Wimbledon and the French Open.
But it was the latter who started the better of the two on Wednesday, racing into an early lead in the first set. Sinner, however, started to find his rhythm and survived three set points to edge a first-set tiebreak.
The Italian, who had been on a 15-match winning streak, then continued to pile pressure on his opponent in the second set. Alcaraz survived multiple break points to stay in touching distance, eventually levelling the score to take the contest to a decider.
Alacaraz appeared to have the momentum in the third set, establishing a healthy 3-1 lead, but Sinner wouldn’t fade away and bit back again, forcing a deciding tiebreak which he initially led 3-0.
But a pumped-up Alcaraz then won seven consecutive points to take the title after three hours and 21 minutes of action – the longest match in the history of the tournament.
“I’m really happy that in the third set, even though he broke my serve again and we were really close, I gave myself the chance to keep going, playing aggressively and at the end I’m really happy that I made it,” Alcaraz said after one of the most exciting matches of the year.
With the win, he becomes the first player to win ATP 500 titles on all three surfaces since the series was launched in 2009.
For Sinner, the defeat comes during a challenging period away from the tennis court.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently said it had lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after an independent tribunal found Sinner wasn’t at fault for twice testing positive for a banned substance in March 2024.
The 23-year-old has so far avoided suspension from competition since the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that he wasn’t at fault despite testing positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. Two samples collected eight days apart at Indian Wells in March showed low levels of the drug.
In a statement posted on social media in August, Sinner said the positive tests stemmed from “inadvertent contamination of Clostebol” through treatment from his physiotherapist.
It’s being released on November 7, but Sony began taking preorders today for the new PlayStation 5 Pro video game console. So, if you want to have one in time for the holiday season, you’d better take advantage of this preorder opportunity. Inventory is and will continue to be very limited throughout the holiday season.
The price of the PS5 Pro is $700. At the moment, the Sony website has a virtual waiting room with more than a one hour wait to place a preorder. To preorder the PS5 Pro directly from Sony, you’ll need a free PSN account to sign in, but you can also preorder directly from Best Buy, too.
Using advanced AI, the PS5 Pro will offer enhanced 4K resolution, showcasing incredible detail as players delve into their favorite games. The system supports 4K TVs and monitors with a 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate and also provides advanced ray tracing to better showcase shadows, reflections and other visual nuances, while offering even smoother and more fluid on-screen action.
The PS5 Pro is equipped with a whopping 2TB of storage and provides enhanced wireless connectivity. And of course, the DualSense wireless controller adds to the immersive quality of games with haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and more. If you happen to have an 8K resolution TV or monitor, you’re in luck — the PS5 Pro now offers full compatibility via an HDMI 2.1 port.
While the PS5 will run all PS4 and PS5 titles, a handful of specially optimized PS5 Pro games are on the way, including hits like “The Last of Us Part I,” “The Last of Us Part II,” “Demon’s Souls,” “Gran Turismo 7,” “Horizon Forbidden West,” “Until Dawn” and many more.
Jason R. Rich
Jason R. Rich (www.JasonRich.com) is an internationally recognized consumer technology expert with more than 30 years’ writing experience. He’s also an accomplished author and photographer. Two of his most recently published books, “iPhone 16 Pro Max Digital Photography” ($19.99) and
The Remote Worker’s Handbook: How to Effectively Work From Anywhere” ($24.99, Entrepreneur Books) are now available from Amazon and wherever books are sold.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris reached the pinnacle of soccer’s mountaintop by helping France win the 2018 World Cup.
On Wednesday night, they said they celebrated just the same after helping Los Angeles Football Club take home the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in extra time.
Giroud and Lloris were just as surprised to be feeling the same emotion, but adding another trophy can do that.
“It is different when you have to play in a final. You just go for it. I’m really proud of the team,” said Giroud, who opened the scoring in the second half.
It is the 12th major trophy for Giroud, who turns 38 on Monday. Lloris joined LAFC this year, becoming the first World Cup winner to play for the club.
Omar Campos and Kei Kamara scored in extra time to give LAFC its fourth trophy since starting play in 2018. The club captured Major League Soccer’s Supporters Shield as the top club in the regular season in 2019 and ’22, and beat the Philadelphia Union on penalty kicks to win the MLS Cup in 2022.
LAFC’s first appearance in the Open Cup championship snapped a run of four straight title matches across various competitions without a victory. It was the 109th Open Cup, America’s oldest national soccer competition.
“A trophy is a trophy. It means a lot for the club and we celebrated with the fans because they deserved it as well,” said Lloris, who made four saves. “It helps gives us a boost for the end of the season.”
By advancing to the finals of the Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup, LAFC is on pace to play 46 matches in the regular season. It played 53 last year, including advancing to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League and MLS Cup.
With Wednesday’s win, LAFC is 48-25-21 in all competitions over the past two seasons.
“We’re happy to win. We were due,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. “The boys made it difficult on themselves. They understood the job and got it done.”
Erik Thommy scored for Sporting KC, which had won its four previous Open Cup finals, the last in 2017.
Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia made three saves that helped keep the game scoreless in the first half.
“I’m proud of the team,” coach Peter Vermes said. “The 3-1 score doesn’t reflect what happened. Maybe playing at home worked in their favor.”
Giroud broke through for LAFC in the 53rd minute, catching Melia out of the goal and beating two defenders.
It was Giroud’s second goal in 10 matches for LAFC. His other goal came in the Leagues Cup final loss to Columbus.
Thommy tied it up in the 60th with a blast inside the near post off a cross from Dániel Sallói.
Campos, a second-half substitute, scored in the 102nd from atop the box for his first goal with LAFC.
Kamara, the second-leading goal-scorer in MLS history, added an insurance goal on a header in the 109th.
It is the second time Kamara has won the U.S. Open Cup. Ironically, the other time was in 2012 with Sporting KC.
The 40-year old striker has a unique perspective when it comes to winning this competition.
“It’s amazing. For me the Open Cup, we look at the big leagues but it is the FA Cup of our America,” he said. “You get to play in these crazy games against teams that would never get the chance to play against top MLS teams unless it is the preseason.”
LAFC is fourth in the Western Conference going into the home stretch of the MLS regular season. Sporting KC will not qualify for the postseason.
“We don’t want to stop with this trophy,” Giroud said. “We know we want to finish the season strong, qualify for the playoffs and go as far as we can.”
AP sports writer Anne Peterson in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this story.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Renogy, a leading manufacturer of off-grid products and systems for campers, is introducing its ground-breaking solid state lithium battery, advancing RV power systems in three key areas, during the Elkhart RV Open House. Most notable is a uniquely thin space-saving profile, groundbreaking solid state technology and Smart Monitoring, utilizing Bluetooth and mobile app connectivity for remote control, according to a release.
The Renogy 12V 104Ah SUPER SLIM SOLID STATE Lithium Battery is pioneering the advantages of solid-state batteries within the increasingly off-grid RV market. “Our mission is to supply the most intelligent space-efficient, energy-dense electric power source to OEMs. Solid state batteries deliver light-weight and a reliable long life off-grid power source for recreation vehicles and other mobile applications”, says Tiffany Dorin, Director of Sales & Marketing.
Technical advantages of Renogy’s new SUPER SLIM SOLID STATE lithium batteries (versus liquid electrolytes), combined with logistical and economic benefits, make the Renogy battery an ideal solution for off-grid electric power needs in virtually any recreation vehicle, tells Angela Zhang, Director of Global Marketing Services.
At only 2.4-inches tall, this remarkably thin battery can fit into many places where traditional battery designs cannot. OEMs can now find wasted voids (under seats, beneath the floor, in-wall compartments and many other places) in their RVs to install the super-thin solid state Renogy batteries.
Solid state technology offers other benefits for RV owners, starting with a solid electrolyte that reduces the risk of fire and leaks. They also charge more efficiently, do not degrade as quickly as standard lithium batteries and are resilient to a greater operating temperature range.
Another unique RV owner-friendly feature is the Smart Battery’s connectivity options including RV-C integration and Bluetooth that connects RV owners to the battery through a smart phone app in addition to the system monitor inside the RV.
Open house visitors can find our display in the RV Hall of Fame building during the RV Dealer Open House. Visit Booth #207/208
NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka moved into her second consecutive U.S. Open final by taking the last seven points and beating Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2) on Thursday night with her usual brand of high-risk, high-reward tennis. The No.
NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka moved into her second consecutive U.S. Open final by taking the last seven points and beating Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2) on Thursday night with her usual brand of high-risk, high-reward tennis.
The No. 2-seeded Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus who won each of the past two Australian Opens, came up a victory short of claiming the championship at Flushing Meadows a year ago, when she lost to Coco Gauff in front of a loud partisan crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
This time, Sabalenka got past another American opponent, the 13th-seeded Navarro — and never let the spectators play too much of a role until things got quite tight in the second set. Knowing she would be facing a player from the U.S. in this semifinal, Sabalenka joked after her previous match she would try to sway them to her side by buying booze, saying, ” Drinks on me tonight? “
Navarro did not fold in the second set, despite trailing for much of it, and she broke when Sabalenka served for the victory at 5-4. But in the tiebreaker that followed, after Navarro led 2-0, Sabalenka took over, grabbing every point that remained.
Sabalenka will play for the trophy on Saturday against yet another American, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, or unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. The Pegula-Muchova semifinal was scheduled for later Thursday under the Ashe lights on a cool evening with only the slightest breeze.
For Muchova, that was going to be her fourth appearance in the final four at a Grand Slam tournament, including runs to that stage in New York and to the final of the French Open last year. Pegula had been 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals until eliminating No. 1 Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion, in straight sets Wednesday night.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Pegula could do no right at the outset of her first Grand Slam semifinal. Her opponent at the U.S. Open on Thursday night, Karolina Muchova, could do no wrong. “I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Pegula could do no right at the outset of her first Grand Slam semifinal. Her opponent at the U.S. Open on Thursday night, Karolina Muchova, could do no wrong.
“I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable. She made me look like a beginner,” Pegula said. “I was about to burst into tears, because it was embarrassing. She was destroying me.”
Pegula managed to shrug off that sluggish start and come back from a set and a break down to defeat Muchova 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 for a berth in the final at Flushing Meadows. The No. 6-seeded Pegula, a 30-year-old from New York, has won 15 of her past 16 matches and will meet No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka for the title on Saturday.
Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up to Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open, returned to the championship match by holding off a late push to beat No. 13 Emma Navarro of the United States 6-3, 7-6 (2).
It will be a rematch of last month’s final at the hard-court Cincinnati Open, which Sabalenka won — the only blemish on Pegula’s post-Olympics record.
“Hopefully I can get some revenge out here,” said Pegula, whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. “Playing Aryna is going to be really tough. I mean, she showed how tough she is and why she’s probably the favorite to win this tournament.”
Things did not look promising for Pegula early Thursday. Not at all.
Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up but unseeded after missing about 10 months because of wrist surgery, employed every ounce of her versatility and creativity, the traits that make her so hard to deal with on any surface. The slices. The touch at the net. The serve-and-volleying. Ten of the match’s first 12 winners came off her racket. The first set lasted 28 minutes, and Muchova won 30 of its 44 points.
After grabbing eight of the first nine games, Muchova was a single point from leading 3-0 in the second set. But she couldn’t convert a break chance there, flubbing a forehand volley off a slice from Pegula, and everything changed.
“I was thinking, ‘All right. That was kind of lucky. You’re still in this,'” Pegula said. “It comes down to really small moments that flip momentum.”
Quickly, the 52nd-ranked Muchova went from not being able to miss a shot to not being able to make one. And Pegula turned it on, heeding her two coaches’ advice to mix up her serves and her spins, to go after Muchova’s backhand more. Most of all, Pegula demonstrated the confident brand of tennis she used to eliminate No. 1 Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion, in straight sets on Wednesday. Pegula had been 0-6 in major quarterfinals before that breakthrough.
Took Pegula a while to play that well Thursday, but once she got going, whoa, did she ever. All told, she collected nine of 11 games, a span that allowed her to not merely flip the second set but race to a 3-0 edge in the third.
“I was able to find a way, find some adrenaline, find my legs. And then at the end of the second set, into the third set, I started to play like how I wanted to play. It took a while,” Pegula said. “I don’t know how I turned that around.”
Muchova, a 28-year-old from the Czech Republic, hadn’t ceded a set in the tournament until then. But she began to fade. After going 7 for 7 on points at the net in the first set, she went 15 for 29 the rest of the way. After only seven unforced errors in the first set, she had 33 across the second and third.
And all the while, the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that was flat at the beginning — save for the occasional cry of “Come on, Jess!” — was roaring.
When things suddenly got quite tight in the second set of the first semifinal, and spectators suddenly got quite loud while pulling for Navarro, Sabalenka found herself flashing back to 2023, when a rowdy Ashe crowd backed Gauff vociferously.
“Last year, it was a very tough experience. Very tough lesson. Today in the match, I was, like, ‘No, no, no, Aryna. It’s not going to happen again. You have to control your emotions. You have to focus on yourself,’” said Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus who was the champion at the last two Australian Opens.
Using her usual brand of high-risk, high-reward tennis, Sabalenka produced 34 winners and 34 unforced errors — punctuating most of her groundstrokes with a yell — and, in a fitting bit of symmetry, Navarro had 13 winners and 13 unforced errors.
Navarro did not fold in the second set, despite trailing for much of it, and as the noise around her grew, she broke when Sabalenka attempted to serve for the victory at 5-4.
“I wasn’t ready for the match to be over,” Navarro said.
But in the tiebreaker that followed, Sabalenka took over after Navarro led 2-0, grabbing every point that remained.
“I kind of got my teeth into it there at the end of the second set,” said Navarro, who got past Gauff in the fourth round, “and I felt I could definitely push it to a third. Wasn’t able to do so.”
When it ended, thousands of ticket-holders saluted Sabalenka for her latest show of mastery on a hard court; she’s now into her fourth straight final at a major held on that surface.
“Well, guys, now you are cheering for me,” Sabalenka with a laugh. “Well, it’s a bit too late.”
Italy’s Jannik Sinner plays Russian Daniil Medvedev in the men’s quarterfinals at the US Open tonight (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Italy’s Jannik Sinner defeated American Tommy Paul at the US Open on Monday, and he will face Russian Daniil Medvedev in the men’s quarterfinals of the tournament tonight. The match between No. 1 Sinner and No. 4 Medvedev will be held in Arthur Ashe Stadium, with live coverage on ESPN and ESPN3 starting at 8:30 p.m. ET, assuming previous matches held on the court end on schedule. (Unfortunately, many matches have started late and gone well into the early morning hours this year.) The match will also stream live on ESPN+.
Here’s how you can catch all the action on the hardcourt during the 2024 US Open and stream the tennis Grand Slam in the US, including channels, livestream info, the full schedule of play and how you can watch the US Open today for free.
How to watch Sinner vs. Medvedev:
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 4
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Match: Sinner vs. Medvedev
Court: Arthur Ashe Stadium
TV channel: ESPN, ESPN3
Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, VPN
When is the 2024 US Open?
The 2024 US Open tennis tournament runs from Monday, Aug. 26, to Sunday, Sept. 8.
Sinner vs. Medvedev channel:
Today’s match between Sinner and Medvedev will air live on ESPN and ESPN3 and will stream on ESPN+.
ESPN will be the exclusive U.S. home of America’s Grand Slam in 2024, ESPN+ will serve as the streaming home of the tournament, featuring every match this year. Coverage will also air across ESPN2, ESPN3 ABC and ESPN Deportes.
Before matches begin every day, a Live at the US Open show previewing the day will also air on the Tennis Channel. If you don’t have cable, don’t worry. To find out which streaming services you might want to sign up for to watch the US Open, you can consult the full broadcast schedule of the 2024 US Grand Slam further down.
Here are our recommendations for the best ways to watch the US Open in 2024:
How to watch the US Open in 2024
On top of airing on ESPN, US Open matches will stream live on ESPN+, so if you don’t want to pay for a pricey cable or streaming package that includes ESPN, this is a budget-friendly alternative.
An ESPN+ subscription also grants you access to exclusive ESPN+ content including live events like UFC Fight Night and F1 races, fantasy sports tools and premium ESPN+ articles. You can stream ESPN+ through an app on your smart TV, phone, tablet, computer and on ESPN.com.
Fubo TV’s Elite tier gives you access to ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and the Tennis Channel, along with 200+ more live channels. At $85 per month, the live TV streaming service is definitely the priciest option on this list, but still leaves you with major savings compared to a traditional cable package, and is also one of our top picks for watching NFL games this season. So if you’re a sports fan looking for one simple subscription, Fubo might be it for you. Fubo subscribers also get 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. The platform offers a free trial period, so you can stream the start of the US Open totally free.
Hulu’s live TV tier includes access to live TV channels, ESPN+ and ad-supported Disney+, meaning you can watch the US Open across almost every channel airing coverage in the US, plus tune in via ESPN+ — and enjoy over 75 other channels. You’ll also enjoy access to unlimited DVR storage.
While ESPN is a pricey cable channel, US Open coverage will air free in Australia (9Now) and New Zealand (TVNZ+). Even if you’re based in the US, you can access free US Open livestream coverage with the help of a VPN.
ExpressVPN offers “internet without borders,” meaning you can tune into Australian or New Zealand US Open livestreams this month as opposed to paying for ESPN or ESPN+ for U.S. coverage of the tennis tournament. All you’ll need to do is sign up for ExpressVPN, change your server location to Australia or New Zealand, and then find the free US Open livestreams for 9Now or TVNZ+.
ExpressVPN’s added protection, speed and range of location options make it an excellent choice for first-time VPN users looking to stretch their streaming abilities, plus it’s Engadget’s top pick for the best streaming VPN. New users can save 49% when they sign up for ExpressVPN’s 12-month subscription. Plus, the service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.
Day sessions begin at 11 a.m. ET. Night sessions start at 7 p.m. ET, singles finals will start at 4 p.m. ET.
Here is the full schedule of the remaining matches of the US Open, when you can start streaming them and what channels you’ll need to watch every tennis match.
Wednesday, Sept. 4
Tennis Channel Live at the US Open: 9-11 a.m. (Tennis Channel)
All matches, all courts: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (ESPN3 and ESPN+)
Men’s & women’s quarterfinals: 12-6 p.m. (ESPN)
Primetime at the US Open: Quarterfinals: 7-11 p.m. (ESPN)
Round of 16 (Spanish): 12-5 p.m., 7-11 p.m. (ESPN Deportes)
Thursday, Sept. 5
All matches, all courts: 12-11 p.m. (ESPN3 and ESPN+)
The British No.1 had never reached this stage of a major before but showed no nerves at Flushing Meadows, continuing to progress without dropping a set in a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 victory. Draper has been in unbelievable form so far during his campaign in New York and showcased his strokemaking style throughout, surviving a slight second set wobble to re-assert his authority and seal a straight sets win.
It was a disappointing performance from De Minaur, though the Australian appeared to be struggling at times with the hip issue that forced him to withdraw from this same stage at Wimbledon. The tenth seed was never able to match his opponent’s power-striking or challenge his serve often enough, stumbling out of the blocks and never recovering. Draper will take on Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev on Friday for a place in the US Open final.
Re-live all the action from the US Open below:
Jack Draper v Alex de Minaur LIVE
Jack Draper thrashes Alex de Minaur to reach US Open semi-finals
GAME, SET AND MATCH! Dominant Draper seals straight sets victory
SECOND SET! British No 1 extends advantage (7-5) despite wobble
FIRST SET! Draper in control throughout to take it 6-3
ANALYSIS: Jack Draper is not ‘the next Andy Murray’ but he can emulate his friend and idol at US Open
Dynamite Jack Draper reaches first grand slam semi-final with US Open demolition job
21:39 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jack Draper further announced himself as the new star of British tennis by reaching the US Open semi-finals.
In the first grand slam since Andy Murray ended his stellar career, Draper has stepped up into the limelight and is taking New York by storm.
His 6-3 7-5 6-2 win in the quarter-final against World No 10 Alex De Minaur saw him become the first British man to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows since Murray won it in 2012.
Jack Draper reacts to making a first grand slam semi-final
21:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Draper has set up a date with either Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev, who play later on Arthur Ashe.
“It’s amazing. Honestly, to be out here in my first match in the biggest court in the world is a dream come true for me. It means the world.
“I think I played a solid match. I feel the best fitness wise I have been in a long, long time, and that’s where Alex has got me in the past. I think he was struggling with something today, but he’s an unbelievable fighter and we are going to have many more battles to come.
“I’m a big tennis fan so I’ll definitely be watching the match tonight if it doesn’t go too late. I’ll enjoy the win and relax.”
(Getty Images)
JACK DRAPER INTO US OPEN SEMI-FINALS!
21:13 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jack Draper is a grand slam semi-finalist! Dominant and dynamite from the British No 1, too good for tenth seed Alex de Minaur: 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.
He’s into the final four without dropping a set!
(Getty Images)
Jack Draper* 6-3, 7-5, 5-2 Alex de Minaur
21:09 , Harry Latham-Coyle
And it’s going from bad to worse for Alex de Minaur, who can probably start looking at Thursday morning flights – another game goes on serve and Jack Draper is nearly there…
Jack Draper 6-3, 7-5, 4-2 Alex de Minaur*
21:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Draper digs himself out of danger from 15-40 to take another step towards the final four.
Jack Draper* 6-3, 7-5, 3-2 Alex de Minaur
21:01 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jack Draper breaks! The British left-hander lifts his level and brings the finish line into sight, flashing a couple of lovely forehands past his opponent.
Jack Draper 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 Alex de Minaur*
20:57 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Magnificent movement from Alex de Minaur, scurrying at full pelt to scoop up a forehand passing shot after Jack Draper had failed to put the kibosh on the point. It matters not, though – we remain on serve in the third.
Jack Draper* 6-3, 7-5, 1-2 Alex de Minaur
20:52 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A slightly nervy backward glance from Alex de Minaur as he checks the flight path has been filed correctly on a Jack Draper lob he lefts go by, but the air traffic controller is spot on, the landing made on a runway down the tramlines. An ace up the middle is a rather pleasant way to hold again.
Jack Draper 6-3, 7-5, 1-1 Alex de Minaur*
20:50 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jack Draper answers without undue fuss.
Jack Draper* 6-3, 7-5, 0-1 Alex de Minaur
20:47 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A strong start from Alex de Minaur, still walking tall as he refuses to let his head drop. How much is that hip bothering him? His rally in that second set was impressive but you do wonder whether the Australian can last what will have to be a five-setter for him to progress.
GAME AND SECOND SET! Jack Draper extends advantage!
20:42 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jack Draper is a set away from a first grand slam semi-final! A brief wobble at the backend of the second, but Draper quickly reset and makes certain with a pretty backhand volley.
(Getty Images)
Jack Draper* 6-3, 6-5 Alex de Minaur
20:37 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Here he comes again, De Minaur having poked the pear and Draper swiping back. De Minaur nets a forehand and the British No 1 will serve for a two-set advantage.
Jack Draper 6-3, 5-5 Alex de Minaur*
20:33 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Steady as you like from Jack Draper, serving to stay in the set and producing a couple of colossal strokes. His coach urges him to back his ballstriking skills, the British player perhaps guilty of being a little too cute as he let his second set lead slkip.
Jack Draper* 6-3, 4-5 Alex de Minaur
20:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Three on the spin for Alex de Minaur with a hold achieved without facing a break point, a relative rarity today. The pressure follows the Australian’s winners across the net.
Jack Draper 6-3, 4-4 Alex de Minaur*
20:27 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Alex de MInaur breaks! Outstanding from the Aussie, back on level terms in the second as he refuses to succumb to Jack Draper’s power game. An ill-advised drop shot goes awry from Draper to give him a helping hand, but from 2-4 (0-40), this has been some sequence.
Jack Draper* 6-3, 4-3 Alex de Minaur
20:22 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Wallop! A mighty forehand winner from Jack Draper, his eighth of the match, is not far at all from Alex de Minaur but past the Australian in a flash as it clips the white stuff.
De Minaur ensures, though, that perhaps the shot of the match goes uncapitalised upon, again lifting his intensity to guts out a hold.
(Getty Images)
Jack Draper 6-3, 4-2 Alex de Minaur*
20:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A superb passing shot to save break point! Alex de Minaur looks to have played the point perfectly, navigating to the net but failing to put a block volley away, allowing Jack Draper to sweep to his left and carve a glorious forehand off the tip of the Australian’s racquet and into the far corner.
And Draper completes the escape! That feels like a potentially crucial hold to keep his momentum rolling.
Jack Draper* 6-3, 3-2 Alex de Minaur
20:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Lively counterpunching from Jack Draper, a couple of jabs and then a left hook of a forehand to secure a break point.
But De Minaur won’t simply fade away. A roar of “come on!” from the Sydneysider as he marches over to his chair.
Jack Draper 6-3, 3-1 Alex de Minaur*
20:02 , Harry Latham-Coyle
And Draper doesn’t break stride with the ball back in his hand, extending his advantage.
(Getty Images)
Jack Draper* 6-3, 2-1 Alex de Minaur
20:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The physio retrieves the tape and wraps it tightly around Draper’s right thigh, mummifying the muscle. Just precautionary, it would seem, and all done promptly during the change of ends.
Jack Draper* 6-3, 2-1 Alex de Minaur
19:57 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Oh no. Alex de Minaur paws at his sore hip, the medical staff waiting to attend to him at the change of ends. He’s clearly in discomfort, grimacing as he underweights a drop shot.
Jack Draper breaks again, and on comes the physio…but it is to Draper he goes! The British No 1 just slipped slightly at the end of the first set and wants his hamstring seen to.
Jack Draper 6-3, 1-1 Alex de Minaur*
19:54 , Harry Latham-Coyle
When Draper has landed his serve today, he’s been close to unstoppable. The leftie dropped just a single point on first serve in the opening set and that big wing flaps effectively in the second on his way to a comfortable hold.
Jack Draper* 6-3, 0-1 Alex de Minaur
19:52 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Alex de Minaur just needs to find some energy here. He holds at the start of the second to go ahead in the match for the first time. The Australian has not yet able to really make Jack Draper work often enough for his points.
Jack Draper wins the first set!
19:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle
But it is only a glimmer! Crisp, clinical and crunching tennis from Jack Draper, who takes the first set 6-3 in 39 minutes!
(Getty Images)
Jack Draper* 5-3 Alex de Minaur
19:43 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A strange change-up from Jack Draper at 30-15 with the set close, serving and volleying twice. The first foray forward works as Alex de Minaur fails to keep the ball in play, but he yorks himself on set point to keep the Australian alive.
And a double fault gives him a glimmer…
Jack Draper* 5-3 Alex de Minaur
19:38 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Battling stuff from Alex de Minaur, on the brink of losing the opening set four times in his service game but saving himself each time. A flapped Draper forehand into the mesh ensures he will have to serve at least once more…
Jack Draper 5-2 Alex De Minaur*
19:31 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The first set looks to be headed Jack Draper’s way, though. Alex de Minaur is struggling to consistenty get on top in the rallying, Draper generally able to use his weapons to control points.
Jack Draper* 4-2 Alex De Minaur
19:28 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A first hold from Alex de Minaur, tightening up after unforced errors eight and nine of the contest. Much needed.
(Getty Images)
Jack Draper 4-1 Alex De Minaur*
19:22 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Draper backs it up on this occasion, the languid leftie using those long levers to level a couple of aces before a crosscourt forehand completes the hold.
Jack Draper* 3-1 Alex De Minaur
19:20 , Harry Latham-Coyle
But there is no question that Draper has been the faster out of the gate. An ace threatens to drag Alex de Minaur out of danger having again fallen to 15-40, but a forehand clunks down out of the bounds of the court as Draper re-establishes his lead.
Jack Draper 2-1 Alex De Minaur*
19:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A double fault opens the door for Alex de Minaur to break back instantly, and the Australian obliges! An excellent response after a sluggish start.
Jack Draper* 2-0 Alex De Minaur
19:11 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A tough start for Alex De Minaur, a touch tight as he warms to his work and not finishing his groundstrokes in the manner that he would like to. 0-30 becomes 15-40 as Jack Draper wins an exchange at the net.
Two break points…and the Brit breaks immediately! De Minaur tugs a backhand wide.
Jack Draper 1-0 Alex De Minaur*
19:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A good start from Draper, an unreturned serve to open before a rally won decisively. An ace down the midddle, bent elegantly by the southpaw, keeps him ticking.
And the game is secured to love. Tidy.
(PA)
Jack Draper* 0-0 Alex De Minaur
19:05 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Right, here we go. Two players hunting a first grand slam semi-final – Jack Draper will serve first.
Jack Draper vs Alex De Minaur
18:57 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Out the players come, Jack Draper striding out with a raised fist, saluting the crowd. Hmm…is Alex De Minaur’s gait just ever so slightly uncomfortable? The Australian also recognises a modest New York crowd, the spectators perhaps sensibly staying out of the heat of the afternoon sun or refreshing themselves at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Jack Draper is not ‘the next Andy Murray’ but he can emulate his friend and idol at US Open
18:50 , Lawrence Ostlere
Jack Draper and Andy Murray are both tennis players, but that’s just about where the likeness stops. At 22, Murray was still feeling his way into the spotlight after reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, painted at the time as some kind of misanthrope, an implacable grump. By contrast Draper, who plays in his first grand slam quarter-final on Wednesday, is embracing the fame. “I quite enjoy being in front of the camera,” he told British Vogue while doing a cover shoot this summer. “If I’m looking good, that is.”
Jack Draper is not ‘the next Andy Murray’ but he can emulate his idol at US Open
Jack Draper and Alex De Minaur next on court…
18:46 , Harry Latham-Coyle
With the first match of the day done and dusted, it won’t be long now until Jack Draper and Alex De Minaur are out on court. It would appear that the Australian may have been struggling slightly in practice yesterday, De Minaur still working back up to full fitness after his Wimbledon withdrawal – is that hip injury becoming an issue again?
Karolina Muchova beats Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach US Open semi-finals
18:40 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Sealed in style! A crunching ace up the centre secures a straight sets victory for Karolina Muchova over Beatriz Haddad Maia, a performance of guts, guile and some fine strokemaking as the Czech battled through illness. 6-1, 6-4, and into the last four she goes!
(Getty Images)
Beatriz Haddad Maia 1-6, 3-4 Karolina Muchova*
18:26 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A break each way with this set perhaps reflecting how a slightly topsy-turvy Muchova is feeling. She takes a couple of tablets to try and steady herself and close it out.
Beatriz Haddad Maia 1-6, 2-3 Karolina Muchova*
18:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle
So, about that Beatriz Haddad Maia fightback – the Brazilian is broken in her next service game, Karolina Muchova manipulating the angles superbly. But the Czech looks to be in a bit of bother: having already left the court a couple of times, Muchova dashes away again after securing the break as she seemingly struggles with illness.
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Karolina Muchova
18:11 , Harry Latham-Coyle
It’ll be either Iga Swiatek or Jessica Pegula up next for the winner of the day’s first quarter-final, and Beatriz Haddad Maia is looking much better in the opening games of the second set, her strokes crisper, her movements sharper. All on serve at 2-1 in the Brazilian’s favour.
Jack Draper v Alex de Minaur
18:00 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper has yet to drop a set and has not lost more than four games in a set during his US Open campaign.
Only Novak Djokovic (four times) and Andre Agassi have dropped fewer games in making the US Open quarter-finals in the Open era.
The Briton’s combined seven hours on court is the least of the quarter-finalists by around an hour and a half and it is only the third time Draper has gone beyond the second round of a major.
Karolina Muchova surges to first set against Beatriz Haddad Maia
17:58 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Draper and De Minaur will be on court at the conclusion of Karolina Muchova vs Beatriz Haddad Maia – which may be pretty soon, if the first set is anything to go by. Muchova, who is in some form, has surged out of the blocks to take it 6-1 and is already threatening Haddad Maia’s serve in the second.
(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press)
Roger Federer says there are still questions to be answered over Jannik Sinner doping case
In March, Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol, an anabolic steroid. He claimed the steroid had entered his system through a massage from his physiotherapist, and was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent tribunal in August.
Federer weighed in on the debate when speaking to NBC, saying: “I understand the frustration of, ‘Has he been treated the same as others?’ And I think this is where it comes down to
“I think we all trust pretty much that Jannik didn’t do anything, but the inconsistency potentially that he didn’t have to sit out while they weren’t 100 per cent sure what was going on, I think that’s the question that needs to be answered.
“It’s not something we want to see in our sport — this type of news — regardless if he did something or not, or any player did. It’s just noise that we don’t want. I understand it’s a tricky situation. It’s the nightmare of every athlete and team to have these allegations and these problems.
“And it lives with you. Every morning when you wake up, you think, ‘Is somebody at the door coming to test me?’ So it’s really difficult.”
Jannik Sinner sets up quarter-final clash with Daniil Medvedev
17:48 , Mike Jones
Jannik Sinner set up a blockbusting US Open quarter-final with Daniil Medvedev in a repeat of the Australian Open final.
The world number one gave the best indication that he is in the right mental state to prosper in New York after a gritty three-set win over home favourite Tommy Paul in the fourth round.
Sinner came into the tournament under a black cloud after it was revealed he had escaped a ban, despite failing two anti-doping tests earlier this year.
Alex de Minaur, whose girlfriend is British No.1 Katie Boulter, has won all three previous meetings against Jack Draper but is taking nothing for granted.
“I think the biggest thing that we need to understand is that there is nothing sure in tennis, right? Doesn’t matter how many times you’ve played someone. It doesn’t mean much,” he said.
“So playing Jack, he’s coming off his best year by far. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s got some very big weapons; his serve, backhand, and forehand at times.
“So it’s always tough facing someone like him, especially a lefty.”
Draper happy to seek Andy Murray’s advice
17:36 , Mike Jones
The British No. 1 Jack Draper says he will not be afraid to tap into Andy Murray’s knowledge of playing on the biggest stage but does not want to disrupt his time on the golf course.
“I feel like he would completely understand and respond to any messages I send him and would give me advice, but I think also at the same time I think he’s kind of enjoying his retirement now, and he’s kind of done with it,” Draper said.
“I know if I have any questions or if I’m feeling something, then he’ll be the first person I text. I know that he’d be there for me if I need him.”
Jessica Pegula reaches her 7th Grand Slam quarterfinal. She is 0-6 at that stage so far
17:30 , Mike Jones
Jessica Pegula is back in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open after a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Diana Shnaider on Monday, her seventh trip to that round at a Grand Slam tournament. Now comes the hard part: Pegula is 0-6 in major quarterfinals over her career.
The No. 6-seeded Pegula, an American whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, is on quite a run at the moment, having won 13 of her past 14 matches, all on hard courts. That included her second consecutive title in Canada and an appearance in the final at the Cincinnati Open, where she lost to No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
“I feel like there’s been more pressure this year, because I did so well coming into this tournament,” said the 30-year-old Pegula, the oldest woman left in the field. “I want to keep working my way and hopefully bringing my best tennis for the later rounds this time.”
Jack Draper feels he still has a lot to give and that he can go deeper into the US Open. He said: “I feel like there’s still a long way for me to go and a lot that I can still improve on in this tournament, and I think obviously as the challenge gets higher and as I play even better players, I think hopefully my level will increase with that.
“I think that’s the main thing about tennis. You know, we can’t play our best tennis all the time.
“It’s about how we’re coming through on the days when we’re not playing our best or when things aren’t perfect or when we’re not feeling great.”
Draper on progressing at US Open
17:16 , Mike Jones
“I think I’ve just got to keep on going because I know that there’s still room for improvement and still room to hopefully go further in the tournament,” said Jack Draper when asked about this great run at the US Open.
“I feel like in most of the matches I’ve just had to control what I can control. I feel like my base level is good, but I still feel like if I need to, I can improve my level a lot more.
Jack Draper blends style with substance to reach US Open quarter-finals in front of watching Vogue editor
17:10 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper is “incredibly proud” of reaching his first career grand slam quarter-final at the US Open – a feat pulled off with Vogue editor Anna Wintour watching in his box.
The 22-year-old destroyed Czech Tomas Machac in the fourth round to become the first British male quarter-finalist in New York since Andy Murray in 2016.
“To follow in Andy’s footsteps and make the quarter-finals here since he did it in 2016, it’s a big achievement for me,” he said after a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 win. “I’m really, really proud of that achievement and hopefully I can do more.
Where Jack Draper ranks among final contenders at Flushing Meadows
17:00 , Mike Jones
Jannik Sinner: 6/5
Age: 23
Nationality: Italian
World ranking: 1
Sinner enters the US Open in good form, having won the Cincinnati Open, though the doping allegations that have surrounded him since that tournament have clearly affected him.
The Italian is the overwhelming favourite with the bookies, perhaps courtesy of his recent record against Medvedev as well as his potential semi-final match-up against either de Minaur or Draper. He has won his last nine matches, including in the round of 16 against Tommy Paul, and is the ‘form player’ at the tournament.
In Daniil Medvedev he faces the only player left in the tournament to have previously won it, but as the rankings show, Sinner is in better form as he continues to grow as a player, and will hope to put the Wimbledon defeat behind him as he looks to add to this year’s Australian Open title.
Where Jack Draper ranks among final contenders at Flushing Meadows
16:50 , Mike Jones
Daniil Medvedev: 4/1
Age: 28
Nationality: Russian
World ranking: 5
Medvedev has already won the US Open once in his career, beating Novak Djokovic in the 2021 final, so he has the experience at Flushing Meadows that the others maybe lack. In addition, he has had perhaps the easiest run to this stage, so fresh legs may play a part against Jannik Sinner.
The Russian has a winning record of 7-5 against the Italian, with their last meeting ending with a Medvedev win at the quarter-final stage at Wimbledon. However, Sinner dominated in their last hard-court match.
Medvedev has been here before and against even better opposition, so perhaps his previous experience will be key.
Where Jack Draper ranks among final contenders at Flushing Meadows
16:40 , Mike Jones
Taylor Fritz: 12/1
Age: 26
Nationality: American
World ranking: 12
Fritz has enjoyed a relatively successful 2024, reaching three Grand Slam quarter-finals as well as the semi-finals of the doubles at Paris 2024.
He’ll got past Alexander Zverev in the quarters winning 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) on the hard courts to book a place in the final four where he takes on fellow American Frances Tiafoe.
Where Jack Draper ranks among final contenders at Flushing Meadows
16:30 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper: 14/1
Age: 22
Nationality: British
World ranking: 25
In reality, Draper is the lowest-ranked player still remaining in the tournament, though the bookies are offering odds as low as 14/1 for the Briton to win the competition, so he is far from the highest odds.
As mentioned above, this is the 22-year-old’s first Grand Slam quarter-final, and he has three previous losses against his opponent, Alex de Minaur. In addition, if he does progress against the Australian, he would face the winner of the match between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev – probably the two toughest semi-final opponents you could ask for here.
Nevertheless, the Briton has one win over Sinner and one loss against Medvedev in their respective previous meetings, and with 2024 being his first injury-free year on the ATP Tour, you never know what the youngster is capable of serving up at Flushing Meadows.
Where Jack Draper ranks among final contenders at Flushing Meadows
16:20 , Mike Jones
Alex de Minaur: 14/1
Age: 25
Nationality: Australian
World ranking: 10
The Australian may be priced level with Jack Draper coming into their match, but the form sheet shows that he has all the tools to beat the young Briton when they meet, as proven by his superior record – three wins to Draper’s zero.
His best finish in any major tournament is this stage, so he will be desperate to advance to his first Grand Slam semi-final, and he has recovered well from an injury at Wimbledon.
Though Draper has yet to drop a set at Flushing meadows this year, he hasn’t faced a test as tough as de Minaur, and a reminder of the Australian’s ability may come as a shock to him come match day.
Where Jack Draper ranks among final contenders at Flushing Meadows
16:10 , Mike Jones
Frances Tiafoe: 25/1
Age: 26
Nationality: American
World ranking: 20
Tiafoe is seen as the underdog out of the remaining players, with prices varying between 20/1 and 28/1. The American faced ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov in his quarter-final, though the Bulgarian retired through injury.
Nevertheless, Tiafoe has home support behind him, and the relevance of this can never be overlooked, with that same support having helped him to the semi-finals in 2022 before he lost in five sets to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Tiafoe faces Fritz in the semi-finals, so he could be quietly confident having made it past Dimitrov.
Jack Draper is not ‘the next Andy Murray’ but he can emulate his friend and idol at US Open
16:00 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper and Andy Murray are both tennis players, but that’s just about where the likeness stops. At 22, Murray was still feeling his way into the spotlight after reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, painted at the time as some kind of misanthrope, an implacable grump. By contrast Draper, who plays in his first grand slam quarter-final on Wednesday, is embracing the fame. “I quite enjoy being in front of the camera,” he told British Vogue while doing a cover shoot this summer. “If I’m looking good, that is.”
Draper posed in checked coats and leather jackets with curls of hair bouncing off his forehead like Danny Zuko, one of his many hairstyles. “I’ve done a buzzcut, a mohawk, a mullet…” he said. Meanwhile, Murray was recently asked what advice he’d give to his younger self. “Get a haircut,” he replied. “And get some clothes that fit.”
Jack Draper is not ‘the next Andy Murray’ but he can emulate his idol at US Open
Twenty and out for Salisbury
15:45 , Mike Jones
Joe Salisbury’s US Open invincibility is now over after he lost in the men’s doubles.
Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram were on a 20-match winning streak that had seen them claim the 2021, 2022 and 2023 titles in New York.
Seeded third, they would have been hopeful of extending their run against American pair Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow on Grandstand but slipped to a surprise loss.
Draper breaks new ground
15:30 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper said he is “incredibly proud” of reaching his first career grand slam quarter-final at the US Open.
The 22-year-old destroyed Czech Tomas Machac in the fourth round to become the first British male quarter-finalist in New York since Andy Murray in 2016.
“I’m incredibly proud of that achievement,” he said after a 6-3 6-1 6-2 win,” he said.
“Obviously, it’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world.”
Aryna Sabalenka edges even closer to third grand slam win at US Open
15:15 , Mike Jones
Aryna Sabalenka has inched closer to her first US Open title after breezing into the semi-final.
The world number two, who was beaten at Flushing Meadows last year by Coco Gauff, proved to be too much for Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng to handle in a repeat of the Australian Open final in Melbourne.
The Belarusian was victorious, getting the better of her Chinese opponent with a final score of 6-1 6-2.
“I feel amazing, I have had a lot of looks at quarter-finals over the last few years and today just felt different,” said American Taylor Fritz.
“I really felt like it was my time to go a step further. It’s only fitting I’m doing it here on this court at the Open in front of this crowd. I think the way I came out today was different because I just have been in this situation enough times.
“I think a question I got asked pretty much every time I lost in my quarter-finals was, ‘What’s it going to take to go further?’, and the answer I gave was always, just keep putting myself in these situations, and I’ll become more comfortable in these situations and get better.”
He added: “That’s definitely what happened now. The quarter-finals didn’t feel like, I don’t know, this big thing to me like it has been, I guess, in the past. It just felt like another tournament.”
Tiafoe ‘happy’ to get through to semi-finals
14:45 , Mike Jones
There is a real chance of a American winner in New York for the first time since 21 years ago, with France Tiafoe telling the press that beating Dimitrov due to an injury was “not the way he wanted to get through”.
“But, I’m happy to get through. Another semi-final here. Incredible,” he said.
“It was a really high-level match, I liked where I was at in the third regardless, but I didn’t want to end it like that.”
He added: “But you get to see me against another American so Friday is going to be one hell of a day.”
Grigor Dimitrov disappointed in injury
14:30 , Mike Jones
Dimitrov revealed he was disappointed with the outcome of his match against Frances Tiafoe, but his overall fitness is his priority.
He said: “I think it’s a combination from everything. Clearly my rehab process is a little bit slower than before. I felt a couple of things in prior the match.
“I think I have enough experience in myself to know where there’s no point to continue any further on that, and I think it’s just simple as that. Do I like doing it? No, but that’s that.”
Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz set up all American showdown
14:15 , Mike Jones
There will be an American in the men’s final of the US Open for the first time since 2006 after Frances Tiafoe set up a blockbuster of a semi-final against Taylor Fritz.
Hours after Fritz disposed of fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final, Tiafoe followed suit by beating an injured Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-3 4-1.
It was not the way Tiafoe would have wanted to win as 34-year-old Dimitrov sustained an injury at the end of the third set.
Dan Evans runs out of steam in defeat to Alex de Minaur
14:00 , Mike Jones
Earlier in the tournament Alex de Minaur came up against another Brit in Dan Evans. Here’s how that match went down:
Jack Draper’s opponent Alex de Minaur says he is sometimes treated as an “honourary Brit”.
The Australian is the boyfriend of British number one Katie Boulter, but enjoyed taking out Dan Evans in round three.
Asked if he was almost British, he replied: “Depends on the day, depends who I’m playing, as well. But yeah, at times. At Wimbledon I was.”
Draper dreaming big
13:30 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper is daring to dream big in New York and is not ready to stop at the quarter-finals, where he meets Alex de Minaur.
By thrashing Tomas Machac on Monday, Draper became the first British man to reach the last eight since Andy Murray in 2016.
He has yet to drop a set in his opening four matches, with his form echoing that of fellow Briton Emma Raducanu, who claimed the US Open title in 2021.
Draper on beating Tomas Machac
13:15 , Mike Jones
Speaking on court after his fourth round win Jack Draper said: “I thought the last few times we played was a really decent battle. He was maybe a little off his best.
“I lost last year in the same round so it is nice to come back and go one better.
“I just need to keep going; I love playing here in New York, and I will just go through it again, I love playing on these big stages, I look forward to coming out again on Wednesday.”
Jack Draper thrashes Tomas Machac to reach first grand slam quarter-final
13:00 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper booked his place in a first career grand slam quarter-final as he demolished Tomas Machac in the US Open fourth round.
Draper has always loved playing in New York, where the fast courts help his style, and he will now be dreaming big, having not dropped a set in his opening four matches.
His form is bringing back memories of Emma Raducanu, who famously flew under the radar to win the tournament in 2021, and Draper will be hoping to emulate her in the next week.
Arthur Ashe Stadium: Session starting 12.00pm local time, 5pm BST
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Karolina Muchova
Jack Draper vs Alex de Minaur
Arthur Ashe Stadium: Session starting 7pm local time, 12 am BST
Iga Siwatek vs Jessica Pegula
Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev
How can I watch it?
12:30 , Mike Jones
The US Open is being shown live on Sky Sports Tennis throughout the fortnight.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
When is Jack Draper vs Alex de Minaur?
12:15 , Mike Jones
The match will be played today and is scheduled for around 6pm BST, depending on when women’s quarter-final Beatriz Haddad Maia v Karolina Muchova finishes.
The draw has opened up for those still in contention, with high seeds Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud all making early exits.
But De Minaur has got the better of Draper in all three previous meetings between the two players, including earlier this year at Acapulco on the same surface, where Draper retired in the third set at 4-0 down.
Good afternoon!
10:53 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s US Open action as Jack Draper attempts to reach the last-four at Flushing Meadows.
The British No.1 has been a delight during the competition, sweeping aside all four of his opponents in straight sets to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final for the very first time. His opponent today is Australia Alex de Minaur who is the No. 10 seed for the US Open and will no doubt prove to be Draper’s toughest contest so far.
De Minaur defeated his Australia compatriot Jordan Thompson in the previous round and is a dangerous, stylish player who has his sights on a major victory.
The players go head-to-head at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and are expected on court around 6pm BST but we’ll have all the build up and other results from the US Open beforehand so stick with us.
