Quick Served: Day 7 — Calm Day, Interesting Night
Jon Wertheim is back to recap Saturday’s action as we enter the “business phase” of the tournament.
He breaks down how the Wimbledon champions struggled yet survived, and the play of Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka ahead of their showdown.
Next, a deep dive into primetime results as one player pulled off a memorable win, while another clings to a title nobody wants.
Plus: Venus Williams advances in doubles, reactions to a courtside moment that went viral for all the wrong reasons, and a preview of Sunday’s matches.
As JW says: enjoy the tennis!
*Results from end of play on August 30.
We Hear You, Felix
Felix Auger-Aliassime clinched one of the best wins of his career with a 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4 upset victory over No. 3 Alexander Zverev. The No. 25 seed scored his first top-five victory at a major Saturday night. He’ll face No. 15 Andrey Rublev for a chance to reach his first major quarterfinal since the 2022 Australian Open.
Zverev is the highest seed to fall in the men’s draw, marking his second straight first-week exit at a major. His pursuit of that elusive first Grand Slam title will have to wait until 2026.
Meanwhile on Arthur Ashe, Alexander Bublik held on to win a five-set battle against No. 14 seed Tommy Paul. With Paul’s exit, Taylor Fritz is the last American man left in the field. Bublik, seeded No. 23, has won 11 straight matches and three titles this season, tied for second most on tour.
He’ll take on No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16, after the Italian beat No. 27 Denis Shapovalov in four sets, after dropping the first. Bublik is the only player on tour, not named Carlos Alcaraz, to beat Sinner since Cincinnati in 2024.
Swiatek Storms Back
Down 1-5 in the first? No problem for the six-time major champion. Iga Swiatek roared back against No. 29 Anna Kalinskaya to take the first set in the tiebreak, then closed out the match in the second. Swiatek can become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2012 to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year.
Up next: No. 13 Ekaterina Alexandrova who has reached the fourth round in three consecutive majors, but her first at the US Open. The Russian has yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows.
Fourth Round Fireworks
With six major titles between them, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka set up a blockbuster Round of 16 matchup.
Gauff, the No. 3 seed, shook off third-round nerves Saturday, sweeping No. 28 seed Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-1. A better serving day as she was only broken once and now heads to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the fourth straight year.
Naomi Osaka had an impressive start, then recovered after dropping the second set to No. 15 Daria Kasatkina for a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 win. The four-time major winner is back in the Round of 16 at a Slam since her 2021 title run in Australia.
Gauff holds a 3-2 edge in their head-to-head, with all matches played on hard courts.
Sweet 16 Takes Shape
No. 11 Karolina Muchova is one step closer to her third-straight US Open semifinal, after beating fellow Czech No. 21 Linda Noskova in three sets. Muchova will take on No. 27 Marta Kostyuk, who is into the Round of 16 at the US Open for the first time.
No. 18 Beatriz Haddad Maia swept Maria Sakkari Saturday night to set up a meeting with American Amanda Anisimova. The No. 8 seed advanced to the fourth round in New York for the first time.
In Venus Williams news, she and Leylah Fernandez keep it rolling in doubles.
A Trio of Retirements
First, a battle between two longtime friends was cut short after a right arm injury forced No. 24 Flavio Cobolli to retire against No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti will make his first fourth round appearance at the US Open against Jaume Munar who will make his Sweet 16 debut in a Slam.
Then, No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur was leading two sets to one before Daniel Altmaier pulled out in the fourth. De Minaur, who is having a solid summer, will next face Leandro Riedi who advanced in a similar way.
The Swiss qualifier, ranked World No. 435, is into the Round of 16 for the first time at a major after Kamil Majchrzak retired after just eight games.
Not the result Majchrzak wanted, but on the bright side, he reunited with a young fan whose cap was swiped in a viral moment.
Are You Keeping Up With Quick Served ?
8 — Eight players reached the second week in New York without dropping a set.
55 — Alexander Bublik is the only singles player who has yet to drop serve through three rounds in New York. He’s won all 55 service games.
2005 — Alexander Zverev (Wimbledon, US Open 2025) is the first ATP top-three ranked player to lose in the opening week at consecutive majors since Rafael Nadal (Wimbledon, US Open) in 2005.
Quick Served Day 6 poll results: 59% of respondents said Ben Shelton’s retirement was the most shocking ‘American result’ from Friday.
Primetime Preview: Sunday, August 31
5:00 PM: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Cristina Bucsa
7:00 PM: No. 7 Novak Djokovic vs. Jan-Lennard Struff
9:00 PM: No. 9 Elena Rybakina vs. Marketa Vondrousova
All match times are in Eastern Time.
Sunday’s Full Schedule of Play.
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Gauff vs. Osaka, yasssss, the match we all want I think :) This US Open so far has been so exciting and many great matches.
And I want to see Muchova doing well, I love her game and style so much.