Key events
6h ago
Khachanov beats Bonzi; Sweeny’s run ends
7h ago
Gauff (4) defeats Bucsa 6-3, 6-4
8h ago
Swiatek (8) defeats Bouzkova 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3)
8h ago
Blockx (28) beats Cobolli (5) 6-7, 6-3, 6-0, 6-3
9h ago
Fritz (9) knocked out by Cerundolo (24) 3-6, 4-6, 6-3. 6-4, 6-4
9h ago
Mirra Andreeva (5) beats Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 7-5
10h ago
Zheng roars back to beat Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5!
11h ago
Potapova (24) defeats Anisimova (10) 6-2, 7-5
13h ago
Order of play – day session
13h ago
Preamble
But that’s it for our live coverage today, on a see-sawing Saturday when Taylor Fritz, Flavio Cobolli, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova all lost (Keys head-scratchingly from 5-0 up and having also held a match point, and Fritz from two sets ahead), but Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva reached the last 16. We will, of course, be back for more tomorrow. Bye!
In the doubles, there have been wins for Britain’s Arthur Fery and Jonathan Paris, the British-American duo Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison, who won the Australian Open title this year, and also the top seeds in the women’s event, Taylor Towsend and Katerina Siniakova, the runners-up in 2025.
Michael Zheng’s fans are, unsurprisingly, out in force on Grandstand, cheering on the Columbia University graduate, and they’re screaming “LET’S GO MICHAEL” when the 22-year-old moves to set point at 6-5 in the first-set tie-break. Even though he can’t take it, his supporters are in full voice as the pair change ends at 6-6 … and now Arthur Gea has his second set point. Gea biffs a backhand wide, but soon gets a third SP .. and he takes the breaker 9-7 with a stinging forehand winner down the line, leaping into the air in celebration. Zheng’s fans still aren’t silenced.
Updated at 18.21 EDT
Updated at 18.02 EDT
ShareKhachanov beats Bonzi; Sweeny’s run ends
The results keep on coming: the resurgent Russian Karen Khachanov, the former semi-finalist, is playing like it’s 2022 again, having backed up his win over Felix Auger-Aliassime with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over France’s Benjamin Bonzi. And Australian hopes in the singles are over, with Dane Sweeny unable to follow up his success against Lorenzo Musetti, losing 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to Luciano Darderi. Khachanov will meet the winner of Learner Tien v Jakub Mensik in the last 16, while Darderi will play Alexander Zverev or Alejandro Tabilo. Both those matches take place in the night session.
So – Gauff is asked about her ability to adapt how she plays during matches. “It’s all about how I’m feeling, if I feel good I’ll play offensive,” she replies. “When I feel I’m not playing the ball well I play defensive. In the first set today it was defensive. Once I got into my rhythm, I could hit through more. I had to sacrifice some points to get going again.”
On reaching the second week, she says: “I feel like I’m used to getting to the second week now. I woke up today and I was like: ‘Oh we’re already in round three.’ I’m enjoying the experience, there’s expectations being American and I want to do well in front of the fans. Last year I put too much pressure on myself.”
“It was way different playing in the day session than the night, but I was happy with the way I fought through, even when I wasn’t playing my best,” is Gauff’s assessment, before my wifi checks out temporarily. While I wait for it to sort itself out, I can tell you that Gauff will face the winner of tonight’s potential blockbuster between Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala.
ShareGauff (4) defeats Bucsa 6-3, 6-4
… and it does! 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game, set and match Gauff. Finally, there’s an American winner on day seven, after the exits of Fritz, Keys and Anisimova, and Gauff maintains her status as one of the frontrunners for the title. She’s yet to drop a set as she punches her ticket into the second week for the fifth straight year, and she’s still only 22. How is she only 22?! It feels as if she’s been around for at least a decade.
A victorious Coco Gauff (right) shakes the hand of Cristina Bucșa. Photograph: Sarah Yenesel/EPAShare
Updated at 17.43 EDT
Gauff is edging closer to the last 16 herself, breaking Bucsa to 15 for 4-3 … but then is given a dose of her own medicine as she’s broken straight back to love. She comes out in the next game with the memory of a goldfish (Ted Lasso would be proud), as she charges to 0-40 … before securing another love break. It’s not often you see 11 successive points go against the server. Gauff will desperately hope that streak ends now, because she’s serving for the match at 6-3, 5-4 …
Updated at 17.23 EDT
An email. “Alexander Blockx was on the Changeover podcast and spoke about a superstition he picked up after his breakthrough tournament,” writes Kerrith Britland. “He apparently doesn’t change his racket throughout a match, which is pretty unheard of in professional tennis. Seems like a nice chap, humble etc and a proper talent, and anything that makes us rec players feel closer to the pros gets two thumbs up from me.” Yes, he came across really well in his on-court interview after conquering Cobolli, but I was only able to dip in and out of the match what with everything else that’s been going on today. I’ll be interested to see what he can do in the fourth round against Cerundolo – it’s a huge opportunity for both, that’s for sure.
Swiatek’s victory means that Michael Zheng is now under way on Grandstand, against France’s Arthur Gea. Zheng, the 22-year-old wildcard from nearby Columbia University, who missed his own graduation a few months ago because he was qualifying for the French Open, is one of two Americans left in this half of the draw after Taylor Fritz’s defeat from two sets up earlier – the other is Learner Tien, who plays Jakub Mensik in the night session. Zheng trails 3-1 in the opening set.
An entertaining drop-shot face-off between Gauff and Bucsa ends in the former’s favour and draws plenty of oooohs and aaaaaahs, but Bucsa, undeterred, still manages to move to 40-15 … before Gauff, ever the ultimate competitor – she’s Serena-like in that respect – drags herself to deuce. But Gauff gets a little over-excited and puts too much on her backhand, which drops long. So it’s advantage Bucsa … and the Spaniard holds when Gauff’s return bashes the net. It’s Gauff 6-3, 2-3 Bucsa.
Coco Gauff races to reach a return. Photograph: Heather Khalifa/APShare
Updated at 17.02 EDT
Gauff v Bucsa is going on serve in the second set, with Bucsa leading 2-1. Dane Sweeny, meanwhile, after his heroics in the second round against Lorenzo Musetti on his US Open debut, is finding things much tougher against another Italian opponent, Luciano Darderi, and the Australian wildcard trails 6-4, 6-3 – but Karen Khachanov has continued where he left off against Felix Auger-Aliassime, and the Russian with the hammer of a forehand leads France’s Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-2.
Updated at 17.01 EDT
Keys has been in the press conference room after her third-set collapse earlier, and it’s really sad to hear what she had to say:
double quotation markI feel like I got off to a really good lead and then I just got really scared. I couldn’t swing. Tennis just feels really hard right now. I feel like that kind of took over.
I just feel like I’ve been struggling for a while now and was able to play through it for a bit. I’m sure everyone could kind of see that I was struggling a bit. Inside it’s felt probably even bigger than that.
Some weeks are easier than others. This week is obviously one of the harder ones just because you care so much. I’m gonna have to make some sort of changes. I just kind of keep pushing it off and pushing it off because that’s how the tennis world works. It’s just to the point where I actually need to do something about it.
When she won her first grand slam last year, at the Australian Open at the age of 29, we wondered if it would free her up to win more. It hasn’t happened – and she’s reached only one major quarter-final since. Let’s hope she can make the changes she needs; she’s such a popular player on tour.
Gauff, from 3-1 down in the first set against Bucsa, has asserted her authority with five successive games and has set point at 5-3, 40-15. She takes it with an unreturned serve. Cue a customary “C’MOOOONNNN!” and a collective roar from 24,000 fans. They’re desperate for an American win today.
Updated at 16.40 EDT
“It got super tough and physical,” says a relieved Swiatek. “She was getting every ball back.” Swiatek then talks about turning her form around on the North American hard courts after a testing 2026 – “this is the most positive part of the year for me” – before reflecting on the work she’s doing with Francisco Roig, who was part of Rafa Nadal’s team for years. “I’m happy with the progress, and to be here and to have another chance,” the former world No 1 says.
ShareSwiatek (8) defeats Bouzkova 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3)
… Swiatek moves herself within a point of victory at 6-1 with a forehand cross-court winner … but she blinks on the first two match points … before getting the job done when Bouzkova’s backhand misfires again! Swiatek stepped it up when it mattered in those two tie-breaks, it was a high-quality match, and it’ll sharpen up the 2022 champion for the challenges to come. Swiatek will play Zheng Qinwen next, who pulled off one of the great US Open comebacks earlier against Madison Keys.
Iga Swiatek reacts after a hard-fought-win. Photograph: Jerry Lai/Imagn Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.16 EDT
Swiatek starts the tie-break – the second of this match after she took the first 7-3 – with the opening three points. She produces some tremendous defence on the fourth point – but Bouzkova eventually takes it with a winning volley. 3-1 becomes 4-1 when Bouzkova bashes a mis-hit backhand wide … and it’s 5-1 at the changeover, with Swiatek now hitting with such depth and intensity …
Swiatek is looking shaky too, saving not one, not two, but three set points against Bouzkova at 5-6 in the second. She then makes the Czech pay for her profligacy by pummelling an inside-in forehand winner to hold. “IGA, IGA, IGA, IGA, IGA, IGA,” shout the noisy fans on Grandstand. And breathe. This day is really putting us through the wringer.
A year after Gauff spent the week before the US Open completely rebuilding her service action, and being reduced to tears at times during her matches before losing in the last 16, the fourth seed’s serve has been transformed of late – but a double fault at 30-all in her second service game gifts Bucsa a break point, which the Spaniard takes for 2-1, before turning that into 3-2. The Americans are already 0-3 today. Gauff surely can’t make it 0-4 … can she?
So in the fourth round it’ll be Fritz Cerundolo v Cobolli Blockx. No 14 Learner Tien and No 17 Jakub Mensik, who play in the night session, are now the highest seeds left in that quarter of the draw.
Updated at 16.05 EDT
Blockx (28) beats Cobolli (5) 6-7, 6-3, 6-0, 6-3
Cobolli double faults at the worst possible time, because it hands the break to Blockx, who will serve for the match at 5-3 in the fourth. And the Belgian nervelessly blasts his way to 40-0 … before finishing the French Open runner-up off with an ace out wide! The shocks keep on coming. The 21-year-old Blockx is through to the last 16 of a grand slam for the first time, having never even played at a major before this year, and Cobolli, having perhaps expended too much mental and physical energy in his first and second-round comebacks, has departed. “I definitely didn’t think this would happen so quick,” says a surprisingly calm Blockx.
Alexander Blockx celebrates winning his third-round match against Flavio Cobolli. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.07 EDT
A huge cheer on Arthur Ashe, as Coco Gauff grabs the first game against Spain’s Cristina Busca. It’s louder than you’d expect given it was only the opener, but this crowd is desperate for an American win after the whitewash so far today. Surely Gauff is in strong enough form to get through this? And yet … we said the same about Fritz. Nothing is guaranteed on this wild Saturday.
Swiatek suddenly remembers who she is, breaking back Bouzkova – who won only five games against her at this year’s Australian Open – and then holding to haul herself level in the second set at 7-6, 4-4.
Iga Swiatek fires back. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.10 EDT
Meanwhile Karen Khachanov, who took out an ailing Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round, is 4-3 ahead in the first set against France’s Benjamin Bonzi, and Dane Sweeny, who knocked out an out-of-sorts Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday and is the last Australian standing in the singles, is 5-4 down in the opener, with Italy’s Luciano Darderi serving for it.
And that next one for Cerundolo will most likely be against Blockx, the Belgian who sounds as if he should be part of some brand colab, who’s close to pulling off an upset of his own, now 6-7, 6-3, 6-0, 3-1 up on Cobolli. But Cobolli won from two sets down in the first round, so this deficit is niente to the Italian … and Cobolli breaks back from deuce with one of his nuclear forehands! As Bouzkova breaks Swiatek for a 4-2 lead in the second set! Today’s drama shows no signs of abating.
Marie Bouzkova battles against Iga Swiatek. Photograph: Heather Khalifa/APShare
Updated at 15.48 EDT
So how did Cerundolo turn it around? “I don’t know,” he says. “He was playing way better than me in the first two sets. In the third I started to get into it, step by step, and in the fourth and fifth I played really good tennis. Taylor is a top player, he’s played in the final here, so winning, my first time on Arthur Ashe, it’s fantastic. I hope you enjoy, I know I’m not the local one, sorry, I try my best, hopefully I can get you all on my side in the next one.”
ShareFritz (9) knocked out by Cerundolo (24) 3-6, 4-6, 6-3. 6-4, 6-4
Now it’s Cerundolo’s turn to miss a gimme of a forehand and Fritz has a glimmer at 0-30. Fritz can’t put any pressure on Cerundolo on the next point, but a lengthy rally plays out at 15-30 … before Fritz fires long by some distance. 30-all. Will it be break point or match point? Match point, because Cerundolo slams down an unreturned serve out wide! And the Argentinian takes out the ninth seed when Fritz batters a backhand beyond the baseline! For only the second time in Cerundolo’s career, he’s come from two sets down to win, and Fritz, the man whom I’d tipped to be the leading American this fortnight, is out. What a gut punch for Fritz at his home tournament. He’ll be seeing that 4-3 game in the final set in his sleep for many a night. And this has turned into an American horror story after the exits of Keys and Anisimova too.
Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo reacts after his win against Taylor Fritz. Photograph: Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.28 EDT
Fritz must recover from that disappointment fast … but Cerundolo steps into the court, crunching another fizzing forehand, and Fritz is left doing the splits and facing a 15-40 deficit. And Fritz’s shoelace has broken, so he’ll be given a moment to fix that, just to add to the drama. When they resume, Cerundolo’s shot clips the tape on the first break point … trickles over invitingly for Fritz to bury it … but Fritz flaps his forehand into the net!!! And from three break points up on Cerundolo’s serve, Fritz is now a break down, and Cerundolo will serve for a place in the fourth round at 3-6, 4-6, 6-3. 6-4, 5-4!
But let’s focus on Fritz v Cerundolo, because this may be a potentially decisive moment after three and a half hours, with Fritz having taken seven points on the spin and a point away from serving for the match at 4-3 and 0-40 on the Argentinian’s serve. But Cerundolo drowns out the sound of nearly 24,000 Americans with some HUGE serving. And then he cracks an unreturned forehand to get to his advantage! And Fritz is screaming to the skies as Cerundolo secures the game! Clutch.
Keys’ defeat, having led Zheng 5-0 in the third set and had a match point, comes two days after Keys saved five match points and came from 5-2 down in the decider to win – so tennis really does know how to give and take.
And now Fritz is looking to avoid following Keys and Anisimova, his fellow Americans, out of the tournament on this Labor Day weekend – which given the way he obliterated his first two opponents was not a sentence I expected to be typing today. And Cobolli is reeling, too, now 6-7, 6-3, 6-0 down to Blockx – though Andreeva is through and Swiatek has finally wrested control against Bouzkova, taking the first-set tie-break 7-3.
Updated at 16.06 EDT
Thanks Niall. So I haven’t missed much while I’ve been away, have I? Oh.
Updated at 15.09 EDT
Time to hand back to Katy, who will guide you through the rest of the afternoon session’s action.
Flavio Cobolli is in trouble, now 5-0 down to Blockx in the third set, and set to slip 2-1 behind in sets. Bouzkova couldn’t take the chance to serve out the set – Swiatek breaks for a third time to set up a tie-break.
Marie Bouzkova breaks Swiatek to lead a gruelling first set 6-5, and she’ll try to serve out the first set, which has lasted almost an hour. Back on Ashe, Fritz fights through a tough service game to edge 2-1 ahead in the decider.
There’s some British interest in the men’s doubles, with Arthur Fery (born in Paris) and Jonathan Paris (born in London) in first-round action. They’re taking on Ivan Liutarevich and Anirudh Shandrasekar.
Cerundolo wraps up the fourth set, and we’re heading to a decider on Ashe. Alex Blockx has hit a purple patch against Cobolli, reeling off five straight games to win the second set and break early in the third.
Updated at 14.53 EDT
Mirra Andreeva (5) beats Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 7-5
Job done for the No 5 seed, who scrapes through a second-set battle, winning the tie-break 7-5. Next up for her: Anastasia Potapova, who eliminated Amanda Anisimova earlier today.
Mirra Andreeva lets loose after her third-round vcitory. Photograph: Geoff Burke/Imagn Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.16 EDT
Swiatek and Bouzkova are locked at 3-3 in the first set, with Blockx and Cobolli on the same score in set two. On Court 17, Mirra Andreeva needs to win a tie-break to secure victory over Bartunkova.
Taylor Fritz has his arms outstretched, unsure how to regain the initiative against an opponent who is moving and hitting much better than before. At least his trusty serve keeps him in the set, but he needs to pose Cerundolo more problems. The Argentinian leads 5-3 in the fourth.
Updated at 14.37 EDT
Cerundolo breaks to edge ahead in the fourth set, and this has become an unexpectedly testing encounter for Fritz. Elsewhere, Nikola Bartunkova – the world No 34, and Czech No 6 – is 6-5 up in the second set, with Andreeva serving to force a tie-break.
Updated at 14.32 EDT
Swiatek immediately breaks back, and they’re back on serve at 1-1, with 15 minutes required to play out two games. On Ashe, Fritz edges 2-1 up in the fourth set, but we’re still on serve.
Cobolli takes the first set! He prevails 7-4 in the breaker against Blockx. Iga Swiatek and Marie Bouzkova have begun on Grandstand – and the Czech player has claimed an early break.
Flavio Cobolli in action. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersShare
Updated at 14.26 EDT
Mirra Andreeva has won the first set 6-2 against Bartunkova with the second set on serve at 2-2. Elsewhere, Alex Blockx has fought back to force a first-set tie-break with Cobolli.
While all that was happening, Francisco Cerundolo started a comeback of his own. From two sets and a break down, the Argentinian has won the third set and is causing Taylor Fritz a few problems.
“Any sign of a dramatic Zheng comeback? No, is the short answer” – me, 35 minutes ago. I was wrong, and Zheng moves on to a last-16 meeting with either Iga Swiatek or Maria Bouzkova, who are up next on Grandstand.
“I always believed [I could win], I just kept fighting,” says Zheng, who found serving at 5-4 down the toughest moment. She talks about her injury layoff – “the worst few months of my career” – and says “hard work has paid off” for her and her team.
ShareZheng roars back to beat Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5!
On second serve, Keys looks to clip the line with a cross-court shot … but misses. Zheng Qinwen has won from 5-0 down, breaking Keys’ serve three times in a row and saving a match point at 5-1 down. She looks elated, Keys can’t wait to get out of there. How on earth did she lose that match?
Zheng Qinwen defeats Madison Keys! Photograph: Heather Khalifa/APShare
Updated at 13.54 EDT
From 5-0 down, Zheng is serving for the match. Will the pressure pendulum swing? Keys edges ahead with some nimble net work, but can’t keep her forehand down with Zheng now feeling the heat. Match point Zheng …
Flavio Cobolli has sped out of the blocks against, er, Alexander Blockx – the Italian leads 4-2 in the first set. But we’re staying on the Grandstand for now …
Zheng breaks Keys again! Madison Keys makes a better start here, the first serve speeding up, but Qinwen Zheng is locked in, turning the rallies in her favour – and when Keys misses a desperate effort down the line, she breaks again. Three in a row, six games in a row, and now she’ll serve for the match.
Zheng Qinwen winds up a forehand. Photograph: Heather Khalifa/APShare
Updated at 13.55 EDT
It’s five games in a row for Zheng as she controls her service game – and now Keys must serve again at 5-5. Zheng was ranked world No 4 just over a year ago, but is currently No 121 after a run of injury problems – and had to qualify for this tournament.
Updated at 13.41 EDT
Over on Stadium 17, No 5 seed Mirra Andreeva has taken an early break against Nikola Bartunkova, who is unseeded but ranked 34th in the world, so not far off.
Mirra Andreeva eyes a shot. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/APShare
Updated at 13.33 EDT
The nerves are all too obvious from Keys, whose first serve slows to a crawl as she slides 0-40 down. Keys saves the first break point, but eventually goes long and Zheng is 5-4 down, back on serve and back in the game.
Zheng moves 40-0 up and has Keys throwing her arms up in frustration – but the American rallies to deuce, only for Zheng to grind out the hold. Keys will serve for the match again, and the pressure’s on …