Coco Gauff defeated Cristina Bucsa 6–3, 6–4 on September 5 to advance to the US Open women's singles round of 16 for the fifth consecutive year, maintaining her streak of not dropping a set in the tournament so far [1, 2, 3, 4]. Gauff recorded a first serve success rate of 49%, hitting 27 out of 55 first serves in the match [1, 2, 4]. She said, "Honestly, I’m definitely used to playing into the second week now, because I woke up today thinking, ‘Oh, we’re already in the third round.’ So I think that’s a good sign that I’m not feeling any fatigue." [1]
Naomi Osaka won a three-set battle against Elise Mertens, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5, lasting 2 hours and 38 minutes [5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. Osaka, seeded 13th, overcame a leg injury late in the match and acknowledged her struggles. She said, "Honestly, I’m really shocked I won this match. Thank you all for sticking around to cheer for me. There was a moment where I didn’t know what to say—I left my whole heart on the court and fought for every point." She later apologized for her on-court frustration, adding, "I was very negative at times and want to apologize for my behavior. The US Open is my favorite Grand Slam, and I really want to put on a good show for the fans. I’m happy to have another match." [5, 7, 8, 9]
Chinese star Zheng Qinwen staged a remarkable comeback against Madison Keys, rallying from 0–5 down in the deciding set to win 1–6, 7–6(7-3), 7–5 [3, 4, 7, 9]. Zheng entered the tournament through qualifying after battling a right elbow injury in previous years that dropped her ranking [3, 4, 7]. She celebrated her victory by saying, "Finally, luck was on my side." Keys admitted, "I felt like I couldn’t play tennis anymore." [3, 7]
In men’s action, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated Wu Yibing decisively in straight sets, 6–3, 6–4, 6–1, to reach the round of 16 [3, 4, 8, 9]. The match lasted 2 hours and 19 minutes [8, 9]. Alcaraz addressed earlier criticism about his sleeveless jersey by wearing a compression shirt underneath and joked, "I think recently I’ve been seeing my nipples way too often. I thought I could at least cover them up for one match. After changing into this shirt, I felt very comfortable and will probably keep wearing it." [3]
Gauff awaits the winner of the upcoming match between Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, ranked 17th, and 14th seed Iva Jovic of the United States as she continues her bid at Flushing Meadows [1, 2, 3, 4].
