Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on September 6 to reach the US Open quarter-finals, extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches [1, 2, 3]. He has been recovering from a wrist injury that kept him out for nearly five months, causing him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon [2, 3]. Alcaraz said, "At the beginning of the tournament I didn't have any expectations. I just came here to see how my body would react, especially my wrist, and above all to enjoy being back competing" [3]. He will face either Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals [1, 2, 3, 4].
Ben Shelton earned his first US Open quarter-final berth on the same day by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 [4, 5]. Shelton defeated Denis Shapovalov in the third round despite making 54 unforced errors [6, 7]. His win over Tsitsipas ended a 149-year streak of men with one-handed backhands at the US Open. Tsitsipas commented, "It's literally like 2% or 3% now. It's such a traditional, classic shot, that it's a shame to lose a shot like that" [5]. Shelton praised Alcaraz’s comeback, saying, "The level that he's playing at is really impressive. To not play for almost five months and do what he's doing is superhuman and we're happy to have him back" [4].
Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula advanced in the women’s draw. Sabalenka cruised into the fourth round with a straight-sets win over Kamilla Rakhimova, hitting 10 aces in the process [8, 6, 9]. Sabalenka, the defending women’s champion alongside Alcaraz, said play at the tournament was "a bit tricky to handle" because of competitors smoking near courts, joking she might also "get high" if it continues [8, 6]. Pegula upset Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 on September 4 and praised her opponent's challenging style, calling her "really aggressive" with great angles [10, 8, 9].
On September 4, the Williams sisters reunited to play women’s doubles at the US Open for the first time in four years, opening the night session at Flushing Meadows [10, 8, 7, 9]. Their return drew attention after they announced the partnership on September 3 when the singles draw reached the third round [10, 7].
Other notable progress includes Taylor Fritz winning early rounds in straight sets, including a 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 win over Mattia Bellucci, with a scheduled match against Francisco Cerundolo next [11, 12]. Elena Rybakina advanced to the third round after defeating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2, 6-4 and is set to face Yuliia Starodubtseva [11, 12].
Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton is set for the US Open quarter-finals, marking a key match as Alcaraz aims to defend his title despite his recent injury layoff [1, 2, 3, 4].
