The U.S. Open field is down to eight after a wild stretch of fourth-round tennis at Flushing Meadows, with an all-American men's quarterfinal, a historic run by an unseeded 22-year-old and one of the tournament's biggest upsets reshaping both draws heading into Tuesday's quarterfinals.
No. 8 seed Iga Świątek, the two-time U.S. Open finalist, was eliminated by Qinwen Zheng in one of the round's most dramatic reversals. Zheng fell behind 5-0 in the first set on Arthur Ashe Stadium before reeling off seven straight games to steal it 7-5, then broke Świątek twice more to close out a 7-5, 6-3 victory. It was only Zheng's second win in eight career meetings with the Pole. Świątek declined to dwell on the collapse afterward. "It's just one match, like … try to play the same way as usual," she told reporters. "You can lose a set from any score, nothing special about that." She added that she had trouble finding fixes once Zheng found her range: "I wanted to adjust it, but nothing kind of worked at that point."
On the men's side, No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe ended a personal hoodoo against Daniil Medvedev, outlasting the former U.S. Open champion 7-6(1), 6-4, 7-6(6) in just under three hours on Louis Armstrong Stadium, where Tiafoe improved to a perfect 10-0 in his career. It was Tiafoe's first win over Medvedev outside an exhibition in eight tries.
An unseeded run for the ages
The bigger story on the men's side may be Alex Michelsen. The unseeded 22-year-old, ranked 46th in the world, beat No. 27 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal without dropping a set across four rounds — a feat managed by only two other unseeded men this century, Juan Martin del Potro at the 2016 U.S. Open and Etcheverry himself at the 2023 French Open. Along the way, Michelsen also knocked out 16th-seeded American Brandon Nakashima. Michelsen and Tiafoe now meet in the quarterfinals, guaranteeing an American man a spot in the semifinals for the first time this tournament.
Elsewhere, No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz needed straight sets to see off Tommy Paul, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches and setting up a quarterfinal against No. 8 seed Ben Shelton, who dispatched former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in under two hours. The Paul match marked Alcaraz's fourth match back from his injury layoff, part of the win streak that has carried him through the tournament. Karen Khachanov survived a five-set marathon against Learner Tien, and No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev and No. 28 seed Alexander Blockx also advanced to round out the men's final eight, alongside Botic van de Zandschulp.
In the rest of the women's draw, No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina eliminated Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4, No. 4 seed Coco Gauff beat Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4, and No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva outlasted Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, and No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula also moved through, along with No. 6 Linda Noskova and No. 26 Emma Navarro, completing a women's quarterfinal field built largely around seeded contenders — with Zheng's run the notable exception.
Marquee matchup looms
Tuesday's headline act is Alcaraz against Shelton at Arthur Ashe Stadium, a pairing tennis writers had circled since the draw came out. Alcaraz holds a 3-0 career edge over Shelton, including a five-set escape in last year's French Open fourth round, and has looked sharper than ever since returning from a lengthy injury layoff. Shelton, fresh off a Montreal title run without dropping a set, was characteristically blunt when asked what it would take to finally beat the Spaniard.
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Ben Shelton
The stakes extend beyond the trophy. Shelton is chasing a chance to become the first American man to win a major singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and a win over the tournament's top seed would be his signature victory. Tiafoe, for his part, has now beaten five straight top-10 opponents and won nine of his last ten matches, a run that has him positioned for his fourth U.S. Open quarterfinal — this time against a countryman playing the tennis of his life.
With the men's semifinals set for Friday and the women's for Thursday, the tournament now turns to a stretch that could produce a first-time Grand Slam finalist in Zheng or Michelsen, a statement win for Shelton, or continued dominance from Sabalenka and Alcaraz atop their respective draws. Play resumes Tuesday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
