Britain’s Jack Draper reaches first major semifinal at US Open

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NEW YORK — Jack Draper powered into his first Grand Slam semifinal, beating Alex De Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday to become the first man since 2020 to reach the final four at the US Open without dropping a set.

The No. 25 seed from Britain relied on his serve that reached 128 mph to set up some of his 40 winners, and he broke the 10th-seeded De Minaur’s serve six times.

“It’s amazing. To be out here, my first match on the biggest court in the world, honestly, it’s a dream come true for me,” the 22-year-old Draper said.

Draper is the first British man to reach the US Open semifinals since Andy Murray won the title in 2012.

Draper said he hasn’t spoken to Murray recently — “I think he’s enjoying his retirement” — but noted the former world No. 1 is “always there for me if I need him.”

“At the same time … I feel pretty relaxed,” Draper said. “I feel pretty good, and I’m just taking it one day at a time, and looking to keep on going forward.”

He will face top-seeded Jannik Sinner, a winner over No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, in Friday’s semifinals.

Medvedev was the last man to reach the semifinals in Flushing Meadows without dropping a set, the year before he won the 2021 title. The last man to win the title without dropping a set was Neale Fraser in 1960.

Draper’s win over De Minaur, who was hampered by a hip injury, is his second straight over an ATP top-10 player after taking out No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s Club in June. Before that, Draper had a 2-11 record against the ATP’s top 10.

De Minaur, forced to pull out of his quarterfinal match at Wimbledon because of the injury, said he believed he was trending in the right direction — but “today was a little bit the opposite of that.”

“Jack is never easy to play in the best of times, and the way he can spread the court, being a lefty and really move you around the court, it takes a toll on the body,” De Minaur said. “Accumulation of matches takes a toll, as well.

“He deserves the win. … In the few chances that I had I wasn’t able to execute.”

Draper has dealt with his own physical struggles. He beat No. 8 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round of his US Open debut in 2022, but then he stopped playing in his next match because of a leg injury. He spent much of 2023 sidelined by a shoulder injury.

“Last year was a real turning point for me, when I had my injury setbacks and took a lot of time off over the summer,” Draper said. “I had to watch all these young, amazing players winning amazing tournaments. I was playing on the biggest stage in the world and I felt like I just wasn’t doing enough to get to that point myself.

“This is not an overnight thing for me. I’ve believed for a long time that I’ve been putting in the work and doing the right things. I knew that my time would come.”

That time came Wednesday against De Minaur, an Australian who had won all three of their matchups.

“I feel the best, fitness-wise, I’ve been in a long, long time, and I think that’s where Alex has sort of got me in the past,” Draper said. “I also think he was maybe struggling a little bit today with something, which may have helped me.”

De Minaur said Draper had improved every time they’d played and praised his work ethic.

“He’s got weapons, he knows how to use those weapons effectively,” De Minaur said. “And look, he’s yet to lose a set in this tournament, so he’s got to be doing something right.”

After starting the year ranked No. 61 in the world, Draper is assured of breaking into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time.

ESPN Stats & Information, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.


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Jessica Pegula ousts No. 1 Iga Swiatek to reach US Open semis

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NEW YORK — Jessica Pegula pulled off a major upset of Iga Swiatek at the US Open, beating the No. 1-ranked woman 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday night to win a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time on her seventh try.

“There have been so many freaking times, and I just kept losing,” Pegula told the crowd. “I know everyone keeps asking me about it, but I was like, ‘I don’t know what else to do. I just need to get there again and, like, win the match.’ So thank God I was able to do it. And finally — finally! — I can say, ‘Semifinalist.'”

Her win guarantees the US Open will feature multiple American men and women in the semifinal round, the first time that has happened since 2003 (Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick; Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati).

The No. 6-seeded Pegula, a 30-year-old American, has won 14 of her past 15 matches and will make her debut appearance in the semifinals of a Slam on Thursday against unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.

Both Muchova and Pegula have yet to drop a set, the first time that has been done by multiple women at this stage of the tournament since 2014 (there were three that year: Serena Williams, Peng Shuai and Ekaterina Makarova).

“I know she has a lot of experience going deep in Slams,” Pegula said about Muchova, whom she defeated at the Cincinnati Open last month. “I’ll worry about that, maybe, when I wake up in the morning.”

The other women’s match Thursday also will feature an American making her major semifinal debut, No. 13 Emma Navarro, against No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who has won the past two Australian Open titles. Sabalenka lost to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final in New York; Navarro ended Gauff’s title defense in the fourth round.

There are also two Americans in the men’s semifinals, but they’ll face each other: No. 12 Taylor Fritz takes on No. 20 Frances Tiafoe on Friday.

The lopsided nature of Pegula’s win was surprising, but she believed this day would come.

“I knew I could do it. I just had to go out and execute my game and not get frustrated,” she said. “Luckily I felt like I was able to take advantage of some things she wasn’t doing well very early and then was able to kind of ride that momentum throughout the match.”

Swiatek served poorly in the first set and her forehand was a real problem, with 22 of her 41 unforced errors coming on that side. Pegula made only 22 unforced errors in all and used terrific defense to keep forcing Swiatek to hit an extra shot.

Pegula repeatedly did what seemed nearly impossible lately against Swiatek, who counts the 2022 US Open among her five Grand Slam titles and has led the WTA rankings for most of the past 2½ years: break her serve.

Entering Wednesday, Swiatek had lost only a pair of service games across four matches in the tournament, both in the first round — and she didn’t even face a single break point in any of her most recent three contests.

But Pegula, whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, didn’t have much trouble in that department, especially at the outset, breaking in each of Swiatek’s initial two service games, which both ended with double-faults, and three of the first six.

It helped that Swiatek was unable to properly calibrate her first serves early, putting just 2 of 12 — 16.7% — in play at the start and only 36% for the opening set.

Even as the games kept going in her favor, Pegula didn’t show much perceptible emotion, whether grabbing a 4-0 lead just 21 minutes in or taking up that set, which was greeted with a slight shake of her left fist as she walked to her sideline seat.

Swiatek didn’t hide her thoughts that well. She smacked her racket against the top of the net. She slapped her right thigh after a forehand flew wide to get broken yet again and trail 4-3 in the second set. Fifteen minutes later, it was over.

“It’s never easy to play against Jess,” Swiatek said. “She has a tricky ball because it’s pretty low and pretty flat. I just made too many mistakes.”

Pegula entered the day as the only player inside the WTA’s top 10 who hadn’t reached a major semifinal; 0-6 in her career in Slam quarterfinals, she was one loss shy of the worst major quarterfinal record by any woman in the Open era, shared by three players (0-7).

During that 0-6 rut, two of her exits came against Swiatek, and one was against another No. 1 player, Ash Barty.

Pegula was asked about that record in this round during her postmatch interview on court after winning her fourth-round match. And again in the news conference that followed. And again during a TV interview before stepping out into Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.

If that all weighed on Pegula, she didn’t let it show.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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US Open: Jessica Pegula upsets No. 1 Iga Swiatek to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal | Sports

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NEW YORK (AP) — The questions wouldn’t stop for Jessica Pegula: Why was she 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals heading into her U.S. Open matchup against No. 1 Iga Swiatek? What could Pegula do to change that?

Came up during her on-court interview after winning in the previous round. And again at the news conference that followed. And again during a brief TV interview right before striding onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night.

If that all weighed on Pegula, the 30-year-old American hid it well, pulling off a big upset by easily beating Swiatek 6-2, 6-4 at Flushing Meadows and earning a debut trip to the semifinals at a major.

“There have been so many freaking times, and I just kept losing,” said Pegula, who has won 14 of her past 15 matches, all on hard courts. “I know everyone keeps asking me about it, but I was like, ‘I don’t know what else to do. I just need to get there again and, like, win the match.’ So thank God I was able to do it. And finally — finally! — I can say, ‘Semifinalist.’”

She will face unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic on Thursday for a berth in the final.

Muchova, the runner-up to Swiatek at the 2023 French Open, made it to the final four in New York for the second consecutive year with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 22 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia earlier Wednesday. Shortly after losing to Coco Gauff in last year’s semifinals, Muchova had surgery on her right wrist, then was off the tour for about 10 months until returning this June.

That was the latest in a series of injuries for Muchova, who called it “one of the worst ones that I had.”

“Doesn’t seem to matter how many matches she’s really gotten in; she seems to have good results no matter what. It’s cool to kind of see her back, because I think she’s really great for the game and the way she plays is really fun,” said the No. 6-seeded Pegula, who defeated Muchova at the Cincinnati Open last month. “She’s good, so talented, so skilled as a tennis player. Like, so complete. Doesn’t have a ton of weaknesses.”

The other women’s match Thursday night also will feature an American making her major semifinal debut, No. 13 Emma Navarro, against No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who won the past two Australian Open titles. Sabalenka lost to Gauff in the 2023 final in New York; Navarro ended Gauff’s title defense in the fourth round.

There are two Americans in the men’s semifinals, too, and they’ll face each other: No. 12 Taylor Fritz takes on No. 20 Frances Tiafoe on Friday.

This is the first time since the 2003 U.S. Open that multiple Americans reached both the women’s and the men’s semis.

The other men’s semifinal will be No. 1 Jannik Sinner against No. 25 Jack Draper. Sinner defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday night to reach the final four at Flushing Meadows for the first time. Draper eliminated Alex de Minaur in straight sets.

The lopsided nature of Pegula’s win was surprising, but she did not think this day would never arrive.

“I knew I could do it,” she said. “I just had to go out and execute my game and not get frustrated.”

Swiatek served poorly in the first set and her forehand was a real problem, with 22 of her 41 unforced errors coming on that side. Pegula made only 22 unforced errors in all and used terrific defense to keep forcing Swiatek to hit an extra shot.

“It’s never easy to play against Jess. She has a tricky ball because it’s pretty low and pretty flat,” Swiatek said. “I just made too many mistakes.”

Pegula also kept breaking serve against Swiatek, who counts the 2022 U.S. Open among her five Grand Slam titles and has led the WTA rankings for most of the past 2 1/2 years.

Entering Wednesday, Swiatek had lost just a pair of service games across four matches in the tournament, both in the first round — and she didn’t even face a single break point in any of her most recent three contests. That’s all part of why the 23-year-old from Poland was listed as a -350 money-line favorite against Pegula, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

But Pegula, whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, didn’t have much trouble in that department, especially at the outset, breaking in each of Swiatek’s initial two service games, which both ended with double-faults, and three of the first six.

It helped that Swiatek was unable to properly calibrate her first serves early, putting just 2 of 12 — 16.7% — in play at the start, only 36% for the opening set.

“I didn’t really understand why my serve wasn’t working,” Swiatek said.

Even as the games kept going in her favor, Pegula didn’t show much perceptible emotion, whether grabbing a 4-0 lead just 21 minutes in or taking up that set, which was greeted with a slight shake of her left fist as she walked to her sideline seat.

Swiatek didn’t hide her thoughts that well. She smacked her racket against the top of the net. She slapped her right thigh after a forehand flew wide to get broken yet again and trail 4-3 in the second set.

Fifteen minutes later, it was over.

“I feel like when I have high expectations, I never perform well,” Swiatek said. “(But) it’s hard to have low expectations when everybody is expecting something from you.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis


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Jannik Sinner enters his quarterfinal match at the US Open ranked No. 1 in the world.

Jannik Sinner vs. Daniil Medvedev prediction: US Open odds, picks

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The two best players left in the men’s field at the 2024 US Open will meet Wednesday night.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, in search of his second career Grand Slam title and first US Open, is a -300 favorite against 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev.

Both players were imperious in their victories in the Round of 16 and have lost just one set en route to the quarterfinals. In other words, Wednesday’s match should be a box-office hit.

Let’s dive a little deeper into the match and make a pick.

Jannik Sinner vs. Daniil Medvedev odds

Player Moneyline Total Games
Jannik Sinner -300 o38.5 (-120)
Daniil Medvedev +230 u38.5 (-110)
Odds via DraftKings

Sinner vs. Medvedev prediction

Sinner entered the 2024 US Open as one of the favorites, but he also was under the microscope after news broke that he tested positive for a banned substance in March.

The 2024 Australian Open champion was cleared by a tribunal, but it was still a moment that shook the sport and put added pressure on the Italian.


Jannik Sinner enters his quarterfinal match at the US Open ranked No. 1 in the world. Getty Images for ITF

And it looked like the situation could have turned even more dramatic when Sinner lost the first set to Mackenzie McDonald in Round 1.

But Sinner recalibrated from there and has won 12 sets on the spin, including eight by at least four games. 

Medvedev also dropped a set in his first-round match, but he’s hardly been challenged in this tournament beyond that. The Russian has won 10 of his 12 sets by at least three games.

Medvedev also has plenty of positive experience to draw upon in this situation. Not only does he have a US Open Trophy on his mantle, but he’s also been to the semifinals in four of his last five trips to Queens. 

There are also some stylistic details that the Russian can draw upon in this contest. Like Sinner, Medvedev is an elite defensive player who boasts all-world court coverage.

Sinner wallops the ball, but Medvedev is one of a few players on the planet who can match that power with his defense. 

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Sinner has been terrific, but Medvedev has been right there with him during this fortnight and will be able to answer some difficult questions of the World No. 1.

This should be a grind and that puts value on Medvedev, who has no issue going deep into the New York night to get the job done. 

The bet: Daniil Medvedev (+230, DraftKings)  


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Jannik Sinner Vs. Daniil Medvedev In The U.S. Open Quarters ‘Feels Like A Crime’

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No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner and No. 5 Daniil Medvedev are headed for a blockbuster quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday night at the U.S. Open.

But this showdown feels more like a final, and indeed, looks like the “real” final of this fortnight. Andy Roddick bemoaned the early meeting, saying it “feels like a crime.”

“As we’re talking through the draw, Tommy Paul and Jannik Sinner to play Medvedev feels like a crime based on how open the rest of the draw is now,” Roddick said on his podcast ahead of Sinner’s straight-sets victory over Paul.

“Like, those are three very in-form players but that ‘Sinner Sinner Chicken Dinner’ and Medvedev quarter that we were all looking at before the tournament started is still alive and well. And the rest of the draw is just, all great players, there’s no disrespect and everyone’s bracket got absolutely annihilated,” he added.

Medvedev, 28, is 7-5 against Sinner, and was victorious in their most recent match, a five-set thriller in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

But Sinner, 23, has won five of the previous six encounters, including a five-set win in the Australian Open final where he came back from two sets down for his first Slam title.

In that match, Sinner, a former junior skiing star, became the first Italian man or woman to win the Australian Open crown and just the eighth man to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a major final.

“I will try to think more about Wimbledon than Australian Open,” Medvedev, who won his only major over Djokovic in straight sets in the 2021 U.S. Open final, said with a smile after destroying Nuno Borges of Portgual, 6-0, 6-1, 6-3.

“I feel like in a way we know our game, what we will try to bring on the table, and then it comes to always, you know, this moment’s deuce, breakpoint, maybe try to surprise him or not, what he will do, what I will do.”

While Medvedev cruised in his fourth-round match on Labor Day, Sinner was tested by No. 14 American Tommy Paul, 7-6(3), 7-6(5), 6-1, during breezy conditions on Monday night.

“It’s different than day sessions, but it was nice to be part of this match,” Sinner said. “You know, playing against an American here on this court in any case is difficult. Night sessions, that gives a bit more tough atmosphere. And matches, in my mind, it’s nice to be part of it. We both try to make a good match out of it, which they come to see a good match.”

Sinner has seemingly moved past the pre-tournament controversy in which the world No. 1 tested positive for a banned substance but avoided punishment.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared Sinner after he failed two drug tests in March, but he has always maintained his innocence, saying the amount of clostebol found in his system was less than a billionth of a gram.

Djokovic called for “clear protocols” and “standardized” approaches to doping cases while Australian Nick Kyrgios said Sinner should have been banned no matter the manner of doping, whether it was “accidental or planned.”

Still, Rafael Nadal defended Sinner.

“I have a virtue or a deficit, which is that in the end I usually believe in people’s good faith. I know Sinner, I don’t believe that Sinner has ever wanted to dope,” the 22-time major champion told Spanish television show “El Hormiguero.”

“I don’t think we have to like it only when it is resolved in the way we think. In the end, justice is justice and I believe in justice.

“I believe in the bodies that have to make decisions and that really make them based on what they believe is right.”

Still, those close to Sinner say he has learned who his friends are — and who they aren’t — and that he has tightened his circle in the wake of this incident.

After dropping the first set in his first match against American Mackie McDonald and raising speculation that the off-court issue was a distraction, Sinner hasn’t dropped a set since.

“He’s unreal out of the corners,” said Paul, who was bidding to join fellow Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals. “Hits a quality ball every time the ball is on his racquet. I mean, that’s kind of what separates him.”

The Sinner/Medvedev winner will get the winner between No. 10 Alex De Minaur of Australia and No. 25 Jack Draper of Great Britain in the semis. Both of those players have an excellent chance to break through to their first major semifinal.

De Minaur is into his third straight Grand Slam quarterfinal of 2024, while Draper is into his maiden major quarterfinal. ESPN’s Brad Gilbert said Draper is playing at such a high level, the 22-year-old left-hander is a “legitimate threat” to win the title.

The two Americans — Fritz and Tiafoe — are on the bottom half of the draw that has been vacated by Djokovic and will play their quarterfinals Tuesday. Fritz gets No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the afternoon session, while Tiafoe faces No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov at night.

The winners of those matches will have a full two days rest before Friday’s semifinals.

Both Americans have a legitimate shot to reach the semis, and an all-American semifinal would certainly go a long way toward bolstering the argument that American men’s tennis is on the uptick.

No American man has won a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open. Roddick turned 42 on Friday.

“Give them a break, they know it’s been a while but they’re getting closer to coming through big time,” John McEnroe said on ESPN of the Americans.

Still, the Sinner/Medvedev winner will emerge as the tournament favorite, with Sinner looking to equal Alcaraz by winning his second major of the year and Medvedev seeking the second major of his career.

The hope for the rest of the field has to be that the two Europeans will grind each other down in a five-set epic, leaving the door open for someone else to break through.

“Obviously we have two Americans still left in the tournament, but, you know, it’s never really felt this open, in a way,” Paul said.

“So I believe that one of us can do it at some point.”


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Coco Gauff rallies past Elina Svitolina in 3 sets at US Open

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Aug 30, 2024, 02:31 PM ET

NEW YORK — Coco Gauff was not aware that she’d lost five consecutive matches against opponents ranked in the top 50. She was not sure exactly how many points in a row she’d dropped — 11, it turns out — to give away the first set against Elina Svitolina in the US Open’s third round on Friday.

Here, then, is what was entirely clear to Gauff at that moment: “I needed a reset.” Before the second set, the 20-year-old from Florida went to the bathroom, changed part of her outfit and splashed water on her face. Then Gauff went back on court and extended the defense of her first Grand Slam title by turning things around to beat the 27th-seeded Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

“Felt like a new person coming out,” the third-seeded Gauff said. “I just didn’t want to leave the court with any regrets.”

After making mistake after mistake early on at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff managed to reel off nine of 11 games in one stretch and won again despite losing the opening set, something she did three times en route to claiming the 2023 trophy at Flushing Meadows, including in the final against Aryna Sabalenka.

“It was in my mind today. It gave me a lot of confidence,” Gauff said, “just because it felt like déjà vu a little bit.”

On Sunday, Gauff will face No. 13 Emma Navarro, one of her teammates at the Paris Olympics, for a berth in the quarterfinals. Navarro eliminated Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

This comeback might be just what Gauff needs to move past a recent slump that saw her win just five of her previous nine matches.

Such a contrast to a year ago, when Gauff won 18 of 19, and 12 in a row, along the way to two tuneup titles on hard courts and then the championship at the US Open that made her the first U.S. teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.

By the conclusion of one set against Svitolina, it seemed as if another loss might be in the offing. Gauff’s totals were 16 unforced errors — nine on backhands — and just seven winners. She put only 45% of her first serves in. She went 0-for-3 on break points. She allowed Svitolina to claim 19 of the 28 points that lasted more than four strokes.

All of those numbers got better across the last two sets as Gauff tried to be more aggressive with her forehands and be more careful with her backhands. And something else changed, at the behest of her coaches: Gauff got the partisan crowd more involved.

Svitolina said afterward she was bothered by an ankle injury picked up last week

“I feel like she started to go [for] more a little bit. But to be fair, I didn’t play the way that I wanted to play. … Then she started to be more alive,” Svitolina, a three-time Slam semifinalist, said. “And, of course, the crowd was behind her.”

Everything began to change for Gauff on Friday after 1 hour, 10 minutes, when she broke to lead 4-2 in the second set, smacking a cross-court forehand winner. She celebrated with a yell of “Come on!” and raised her left hand to wiggle her fingers and ask the spectators to get louder.

“My team was kind of like telling me that [the fans] were on the edge of their seats,” Gauff explained. “So I said, ‘OK, I need to erupt so you guys can erupt.'”

Soon that set belonged to Gauff, who closed it with a 94 mph ace, shook a fist and shouted.

In the third, with UConn women’s basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd sitting in her guest box at Ashe, Gauff broke right away, then held to go up 2-0 with the help of one 38-stroke point that she took when Svitolina sent a backhand wide.

Soon it was 5-1 for Gauff, whose only late wobble came when she served for the match at 5-2. She wasted three match points and got broken there. But Gauff broke right back to close things out.

“I’m glad that I had that match,” Gauff said, “because I think it just makes me match-tough and gets me ready, probably, for future challenges.”

Since making her Grand Slam debut in 2019, Gauff has won 12 major matches after dropping the opening set, second only to Ons Jabeur (13) in that span.

Gauff also became the sixth American woman to win 60 major matches before her 21st birthday, joining Serena Williams, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Evert, Venus Williams and Tracy Austin.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Good friends Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton embrace at the net following their five-set epic at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday. Mike Frey/USA Today Sports

Shelton, a 21-year-old from Georgia, was seeded 13th. Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland, is 20th. They are both part of a group of five Americans in the top 20 of the ATP rankings, making some think the country's long wait for a men's champion at a major could end soon. Andy Roddick's 2003 US Open trophy was the most recent Slam title for a man from the United States.

The highest-ranked U.S. man at the moment, No. 12 Taylor Fritz, moved on with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Francisco Comesana and now will take on three-time Slam finalist Casper Ruud, who beat Juncheng Shang in five sets after dropping the first two.

Fritz became the first American man to make the round of 16 at all four majors in a year since Andre Agassi in 2003.

"It's a pretty cool thing for me to do, because just last year I was really struggling with Grand Slam results," Fritz said. "Obviously making quarterfinals here was huge, but ... my [other] Slam performances were bad, so it's nice to do a lot better at something I put a lot of emphasis on, which was performing ... at the biggest tournaments."

Yet another American, Brandon Nakashima, who is currently ranked No. 50, advanced by eliminating Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Frances Tiafoe outduels Ben Shelton in US Open top-20 clash

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Aug 30, 2024, 06:32 PM ET

Frances Tiafoe solved Ben Shelton’s big serve and played brilliantly at the net to win their all-American rematch at the US Open 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 on Friday and get back to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the fifth consecutive year.

A year ago in New York, Tiafoe was eliminated by Shelton in four sets in the quarterfinals. The year before that, Tiafoe, who loves the tournament’s spotlight and electricity, defeated Rafael Nadal on the way to the US Open semifinals, the best Grand Slam showing of his career.

Tiafoe hasn’t always excelled at five-setters; he was 6-13 in matches that went the distance before Friday. Shelton was 6-2. But none of that mattered on this occasion. After getting past Shelton in a match that lasted 4 hours, 3 minutes, Tiafoe spread his arms wide and looked around at the thousands cheering in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The two pals then met at the net for a hug and a lengthy chat.

“I’ve got to say, Ben’s an incredible player, man,” Tiafoe told spectators during a postmatch interview. “He’s an incredible player. He really is. He goes for all kind of shots. He’s got no care in the world. It’s really annoying. … He’s really talented. He can come up with great shots. So can I. It’s highlight after highlight. I hope you guys enjoyed the show.”

Said Shelton: “I thought he played lights-out today. … You’ve got to be happy for a guy and congratulate — especially a guy like him when he’s playing the way he’s playing. I think that it’s important to show that you can be happy for a guy when they beat you.

“Obviously there are some things I want to do better. I’m a competitor. I always want to win. But you know, I’ve taken a few things from him in the past year, and I thought that he’s always handled it well. … I told him keep serving like that, keep returning like that, and see where this thing goes.”

Up next for Tiafoe is No. 28 Alexei Popyrin, who upset 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, the defending champ at Flushing Meadows, late Friday night.

Many people were figuring Shelton vs. Tiafoe would be at night, but instead it was in the afternoon and began in front of a sparse crowd because the stands emptied at the conclusion of the previous encounter, 2023 champion Coco Gauff’s victory over Elina Svitolina.

“All my friends and close ones [were] saying, ‘How is he not playing at night? I don’t know how I’m going to get there.’ Da, da, da. Blah, blah, blah. I was like, ‘Fact of the matter is, we’re not playing at night. It doesn’t really matter. I just want to win,'” Tiafoe said.

“It would have been cool at night,” he added. “Look, it was epic during the day. I think everyone loved it.”

Shelton echoed that sentiment.

“It didn’t feel like a third-round match. Felt like one of those that you play late in the two weeks,” he said, before adding with a smile, “Should have been a night match, but it is what it is. But yeah, a great atmosphere.”

Shelton, a 21-year-old from Georgia, was seeded 13th. Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland, is 20th. They are both part of a group of five Americans in the top 20 of the ATP rankings, making some think the country’s long wait for a men’s champion at a major could end soon. Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open trophy was the most recent Slam title for a man from the United States.

The highest-ranked U.S. man at the moment, No. 12 Taylor Fritz, moved on with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Francisco Comesana and now will take on three-time Slam finalist Casper Ruud, who beat Juncheng Shang in five sets after dropping the first two.

Fritz became the first American man to make the round of 16 at all four majors in a year since Andre Agassi in 2003.

“It’s a pretty cool thing for me to do, because just last year I was really struggling with Grand Slam results,” Fritz said. “Obviously making quarterfinals here was huge, but … my [other] Slam performances were bad, so it’s nice to do a lot better at something I put a lot of emphasis on, which was performing … at the biggest tournaments.”

Yet another American, Brandon Nakashima, who is currently ranked No. 50, advanced by eliminating Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Nakashima, who upset 15th seed Holger Rune in the first round, will face No. 4 Alexander Zverev, who dropped the first set before rallying to defeat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 in a match that ended at 2:35 a.m.

One men’s fourth-round matchup established Friday was No. 6 Andrey Rublev vs. No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov.

Shelton, a left-hander, hadn’t lost serve once in two wins this week before Friday and managed to produce 23 aces, reaching 143 mph, the fastest of the tournament. But Tiafoe accumulated a whopping 21 break points — the most by any opponent against Shelton — and converted five. The last made it 3-1 in the fifth set.

The other key? Tiafoe kept charging forward, and he kept putting away volleys. He won 35 of 48 points when he made it to the net. And as usual, Tiafoe played to the fans, breaking out his “Salt Bae” celebration after one point.

“I thought I made a lot of returns, made him play a lot. I think that’s something I have really improved on since I’ve hired David Witt, focusing a lot on that,” Tiafoe said. “That paid a lot of dividends. I wished I served better throughout the match, but I served really well at the end, and that’s kind of what counts.

“It was definitely a tough match. But I think … the level was a lot higher this year than we played last year throughout the five sets.”

Tiafoe had a 15-15 record at the tour level this season through Wimbledon but has won 12 of his past 16 matches since bringing on Witt, Venus Williams’ coach for 11 years, in July at Atlanta.

After starting the season 0-4 against ATP top-20 players through Wimbledon, Tiafoe has now won five of his past six matches against the top 20, with the lone loss coming against No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Cincinnati final.

ESPN Stats & Information, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.


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Novak Djokovic upset by Alexei Popyrin in 3rd round of US Open

by with No Comment Uncategorized

Aug 30, 2024, 11:59 PM ET

Novak Djokovic did not go easy on himself when assessing the listless way he performed from the start of the US Open, pointing to his sloppy serving as the main reason the defense of his 2023 title surprisingly ended in the third round.

“I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly,” Djokovic said, just after midnight as Friday turned to Saturday. “Serving — by far — the worst ever.”

With 14 double faults, raising his tournament total to 32, Djokovic bowed out with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia, another shocking result at Flushing Meadows one night after 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz exited.

It’s Djokovic’s earliest loss at a major since the 2017 Australian Open, where he lost in the second round to Denis Istomin. It’s also only the third time in the Open era that two of the top three men’s seeds at the US Open are gone before the fourth round; the other instances were in 1973 and 2000.

“It was just an awful match for me,” the No. 2-seeded Djokovic said. “I wasn’t playing even close to my best. It’s not good to be in that kind of state where you feel OK physically, and of course you’re motivated because it’s a Grand Slam, but you just are not able to find your game. That’s it. The game is falling apart, and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.”

Not often for him, though.

After all, Djokovic was trying to become the first player in tennis history with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. Instead, after knee surgery in June, he finishes a year without claiming at least one major championship for the first time since 2017. Before that, it hadn’t happened since 2010.

Also of note: It’s the first season since 2002 in which none of the Big Three of men’s tennis — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — earned a Slam trophy.

The third-round exit equals Djokovic’s worst showing at Flushing Meadows; the only other occasions he was defeated that early at the US Open came in 2005 and 2006. The man who defeated Djokovic 18 years ago, International Tennis Hall of Fame member Lleyton Hewitt, is now Australia’s Davis Cup captain and was sitting in Popyrin’s guest box at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic, Popyrin said, “wasn’t playing his best tennis; I was waiting for him to kind of step up.”

“I didn’t want to be one of those moments where Novak kind of stepped up and came back from two-sets-to-love down,” Popyrin said. “That was going through my head.”

Djokovic, who is 37, has reached the final at Ashe 10 times, leaving with the title in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.

On Friday, though, he was sluggish and emotionally flat, perhaps residual fatigue after collecting his first Olympic gold medal for Serbia by beating Alcaraz in the final at the Paris Games earlier in August.

“Obviously, it had an effect,” Djokovic said. “I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically. But because it’s the US Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I mean, I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas. And you could see that with the way I played.”

The No. 3-seeded Alcaraz entered the US Open as the tournament favorite having won the French Open and Wimbledon. He also acknowledged his energy was lower than he realized after being eliminated by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday night.

“I woke up this morning and showed my girlfriend straightaway, in shock. It was crazy. Results like that happen,” said Popyrin, who had never set foot on the playing surface in 23,000-plus capacity Ashe until about 20 minutes before taking on Djokovic. “I thought to myself: Why not me today?”

Djokovic replaced Alcaraz as the money-line pick to take the men’s title, according to ESPN BET, but that status didn’t last long. Now the only past US Open men’s champion remaining before Week 1 is even over is Daniil Medvedev, whose lone Slam title came in 2021. He plays No. 31-ranked Flavio Cobolli on Saturday in the third round.

For the 25-year-old Popyrin, the victory represented a breakthrough: He had been 0-3 against Djokovic and 0-6 in third-round matches at majors.

But the strong-serving Popyrin is playing as well as ever, coming off the biggest title of his career less than three weeks ago at a hard-court tournament in Montreal, where he picked up five wins against opponents ranked in the top 20.

Everything was working against Djokovic.

Popyrin was terrific at the net, going 10-for-10 on serve-and-volley approaches and 25-for-36 overall on points when he pushed forward. Djokovic, in contrast, won the point on only 19 of his 40 trips to the net, in part because Popyrin kept flipping passing shots by him.

Popyrin took big cuts with his powerful forehand, accumulating 22 of his 50 total winners with the shot.

And he broke Djokovic five times, including for a lead of 3-2 in the fourth. That game felt titanic, lasting more than 10 minutes. It included four break chances for Popyrin, who converted the last one with an inside-out forehand to close a 22-stroke exchange then rocked back on his heels, clenched both fists and let out a roar. He took Djokovic’s next service game too to make it 5-2.

The first time Popyrin served for the match, he faltered, allowing Djokovic to break. The second time, Popyrin finished the deal, holding at love when Djokovic sent a forehand long.

Now Popyrin will try to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by getting past No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, who advanced Friday with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 13 Ben Shelton in a matchup of two Americans.

“If he serves well, plays well, he can beat anybody,” Djokovic said about Popyrin. “Look, Alcaraz is out. I’m out. Some big upsets. The draw is opening up.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Alexei Popyrin of Australia reacts against Novak Djokovic during a third round match of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Friday.

Defending U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic knocked out in shock defeat

by with No Comment Uncategorized

NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic did not go easy on himself when assessing the listless way he performed from the start of the U.S. Open, pointing to his sloppy serving as the main reason the defense of his 2023 title surprisingly ended in the third round.

“I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly,” Djokovic said, just after midnight as Friday turned to Saturday. “Serving — by far — the worst ever.”

With 14 double-faults, raising his tournament total to 32, Djokovic bowed out with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia, another shocking result at Flushing Meadows one night after Carlos Alcaraz exited.

“It was just an awful match for me,” the No. 2-seeded Djokovic said. “I wasn’t playing even close to my best. It’s not good to be in that kind of state where you feel OK physically, and of course you’re motivated because it’s a Grand Slam, but you just are not able to find your game. That’s it. The game is falling apart, and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.”

Not often for him, though.

After all, Djokovic was trying to become the first player in tennis history with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. Instead, after knee surgery in June, he finishes a year without claiming at least one major championship for the first time since 2017. Before that, it hadn’t happened since 2010.

Julia Nikhinson / AP

/

AP

Alexei Popyrin of Australia reacts against Novak Djokovic during a third round match of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Friday.

Also of note: 2024 now becomes the first season since 2002 in which none of the Big Three of men’s tennis — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — earned a Slam trophy.

The third-round exit equals Djokovic’s worst showing at Flushing Meadows; the only other occasions he was beaten that early at the U.S. Open came in 2005 and 2006. The man who defeated Djokovic 18 years ago, International Tennis Hall of Fame member Lleyton Hewitt, is now Australia’s Davis Cup captain and was sitting in Popyrin’s guest box in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic, who is 37, has reached the final in Ashe 10 times, leaving with the title in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.

On Friday, though, he was sluggish and emotionally flat, perhaps residual fatigue after collecting his first Olympic gold medal for Serbia by beating Alcaraz in the final at the Paris Games earlier in August.

“Obviously, it had an effect,” Djokovic said. “I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically. But because it’s the U.S. Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I mean, I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas. And you could see that with the way I played.”

The No. 3-seeded Alcaraz entered the U.S. Open as the tournament favorite having won the French Open and Wimbledon, and acknowledged his energy was lower than he realized after getting eliminated by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday night.

Djokovic then replaced Alcaraz as the money-line pick to take the men’s title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but that status didn’t last long at all.

For the 25-year-old Popyrin, this represents a real breakthrough: He had been 0-3 against Djokovic and 0-6 in third-round matches at majors.

But the strong-serving Popyrin is playing as well as ever, coming off the biggest title of his career less than three weeks ago at a hard-court tournament in Montreal, where he picked up five wins against opponents ranked in the top 20.

Everything was working against Djokovic.

Popyrin was terrific at the net, going 10 for 10 on serve-and-volley approaches and 25 for 36 overall on points when he pushed forward. Djokovic, in contrast, only won the point on 19 of his 40 trips to the net, in part because Popyrin kept flipping passing shots by him.

Popyrin took big cuts with his powerful forehand, accumulating 22 of his 50 total winners with that shot.

And he broke Djokovic five times, including for a lead of 3-2 in the fourth. That game felt titanic, lasting more than 10 minutes and including four break chances for Popyrin, who converted the last with an inside-out forehand to close a 22-stroke exchange, then rocked back on his heels, clenched both fists and let out a roar. He took Djokovic’s next service game, too, to make it 5-2.

The first time Popyrin served for the match, he faltered, allowing Djokovic to break. The second time, Popyrin finished the deal, holding at love when Djokovic sent a forehand long.

Now Popyrin will try to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by getting past No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, who advanced Friday with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 13 Ben Shelton in a matchup between two Americans.

“If he serves well, plays well, he can beat anybody,” Djokovic said about Popyrin. “Look, Alcaraz is out. I’m out. Some big upsets. The draw is opening up.”

Copyright 2024 NPR




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Image: Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 U.S. Open.

Carlos Alcaraz loses to Botic van de Zandschulp in U.S. Open, ending 15-match Grand Slam win streak

by with No Comment Uncategorized

Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten run ended at the U.S. Open with a sloppy 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round on Thursday night.

Alcaraz won the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to raise his career total to four major championships, including taking the title at Flushing Meadows in 2022, and was the pre-tournament favorite to leave with the trophy again.

Carlos Alcaraz waves to the crowd after losing to Botic van De Zandschulp at the U.S. Open on Thursday.Matthew Stockman / Getty Images

But he never found his footing against van de Zandschulp, a 28-year-old from the Netherlands. Alcaraz was way off, repeatedly missing the sorts of shots he usually makes routinely. After double-faulting to fall behind two sets to none — a deficit he’s never overcome — the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz slung his equipment bag over this shoulder and trudged toward the locker room.

Glancing in the direction of his coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz pointed his right index finger at his temple, then wagged that finger, as if to say, “I’m not thinking straight.”

He might have been excused for being confused by what was transpiring under the closed retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a chilly evening.

The 21-year-old from Spain came in with a 16-2 record at the U.S. Open, where he never had been eliminated before the quarterfinals in three previous appearances. This also was Alcaraz’s earliest loss at any major tournament since bowing out in the second round of Wimbledon in 2021 as a teenager; he’s never lost in the first round at a Slam event.

The opening set Thursday was unbelievably lopsided. With van de Zandschulp’s powerful forehands and serves at up to 132 mph finding their marks, Alcaraz never seemed to get comfortable — even if he had won their past two matchups.

Alcaraz did not produce a single winner in that set and was nearly doubled up in total points, 24-13. The second set was a bit better for him, but not enough so, and a double-fault gift-wrapped a service break that put van de Zandschulp up 6-5. When Alcaraz pushed a forehand wide to end the next game, van de Zandschulp finished off a hold at love that gave him the initial two sets after 1 1/2 hours of action.

It didn’t take long for Alcaraz to fall behind by a break in the third, too, at 3-2, but he made a stand immediately — well, with some help, because van de Zandschulp’s double-fault ceded a break that made it 3-all. Alcaraz then held at love and smiled as he strutted to the changeover.

That smile was quickly gone, though, because Alcaraz’s mistakes kept arriving, and van de Zandschulp never folded.


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