The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 U.S. Open.
Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On Day 9, a big move at the top of the women’s game, two epic men’s matches and some surprising doubles drama.
What took Elena Rybakina to the cusp of a career milestone?
For someone who didn’t play the entire week before showing up at the U.S. Open, Elena Rybakina should be ecstatic with her results. The No. 2 seed beat Naomi Osaka, 6-1, 6-4 in a brisk 61 minutes Monday to advance to an enticing quarterfinal matchup against Zheng Qinwen, who defeated Iga Świątek 7-5, 6-3 with yet another comeback win after trailing 5-0 in a set.
That puts Rybakina one win away from clinching the No. 1 ranking. She will take the top spot no matter what Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff do, as long as she reaches the semifinals.
Rybakina said that opportunity played no part in her decision to play the U.S. Open after she pulled out of the Cincinnati Open last month with a left Achilles injury.
“I never want to miss the tournaments. No matter where I go, I want to win,” Rybakina said in a news conference.
She’s playing well enough that she could win her first title in New York, though Monday was hardly a revealing test.
What might have been an exciting matchup between two power hitters was instead a straightforward drubbing, largely because Osaka couldn’t serve at full power. She’s been struggling with an injury in her left Achilles area since before Wimbledon and wore visible black strapping against Rybakina.
Osaka said she had an ultrasound on the injury Sunday and will likely have an MRI exam Tuesday to find out about the precise nature of her ailment.
“I can’t really push off like I want, and when I land, it hurts a little. I was trying to figure out ways to, I guess, minimize it. I thought if I served a little slower, the impact when I land would be less,” Osaka said.
— Ava Wallace
How do tennis rankings work?
Ava Wallace and Lia Griffin
How did the good kind of late-night tennis show up?
For all the late nights the U.S. Open has already had this year, Monday was the first that actually felt like classic late-night tennis in New York.
Crowds haven’t been sticking around much for matches that have ended in the wee hours of the morning. But Monday hit a sweet spot: two five-set battles went just late enough, ending around 10 p.m.
One involved American Learner Tien, with the 20-year-old bidding to become the youngest American male quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows since Andy Roddick in 2002. He lost to former U.S. Open semifinalist Karen Khachanov, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-1, 6-4, in a match played on a hyped-up Louis Armstrong Stadium.
It was full of long, taut rallies that earned standing ovations from a rowdy crowd, especially down the stretch as Tien first led by a break in the fifth set, and then tried to keep Khachanov at bay as he came back. The American managed to do so — until the very last point.
There was a big cheer when Khachanov won despite the fact that he was clearly not the crowd favorite — the fans’ way of thanking him for his part in a great night of entertainment — as Tien hurled his racket to the ground in the frustration of a job so nearly well done, before sitting at the side of the court to console himself.
Learner Tien was devastated after a close loss to Karen Khachanov. (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
Khachanov will face Alexander Blockx, the rising Belgian No. 28 seed who took down the No. 24 seed, Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. Blockx, 21, said in a news conference that he came close to retiring during the third set after struggling with sharp rib pain. He took some medication during a medical timeout, he said, and hopes to be fit to play Russia’s Khachanov Wednesday.
Tien and Khachanov could not match the efforts of Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp and France’s Arthur Géa. The latter player entered the main draw as a lucky loser and so nearly made it to the last eight standing. Instead, Van de Zandschulp — who stunned Carlos Alcaraz here two years ago — reversed a two-sets-to-love deficit to triumph 3-6, 6-7(0), 7-6(7), 7-6(3), 6-4 in five hours and 13 minutes on Grandstand, in front of a smaller but just as dedicated crowd.
He will face Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals, after the German got an early(ish) night of his own. Zverev, the architect of two 2.a.m. finishes in his opening two matches, had a comfortable win over Italy’s Luciano Darderi, the No. 21 seed, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3). He got it done at 11:48 p.m. and pointed to his watch.
— Ava Wallace
How did a match between two friends end in a painful but heartwarming moment?
Mirra Andreeva vs. Anastasia Potapova had the tricky time slot on Labor Day Monday. They were first up on Louis Armstrong Stadium at 11 a.m., when the only other matches starting were doubles and juniors.
Their match, between the No. 5 seed Andreeva and the No. 24 seed Potapova, turned into a hell of a scrap between a young star and one of her role models growing up.
“For me, Nastya, she was always like a prodigy,” Andreeva said in a news conference. “She came on tour early. She also had a lot of wins. I also remember we were all watching and cheering for her when she won the junior Wimbledon title. I remember watching that match. For me, she was always, like, a little star that I was kind of, you know, always looking at.”
They have since become close friends, and they played a back-and-forth, fourth-round duel filled with lead changes and tense moments. Andreeva came from a set down to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, and the ebb and flow was the story, but the final result came down to a blistering shot to Potapova’s forehand corner late in the third set.
Potapova was serving to stay in the match. Andreeva leathered a backhand down the line. Potapova moved to the corner for it, and her right foot took an awkward step as she moved across, causing her to jam her left knee.
She tumbled to the ground, and Andreeva came across the net to help her to the side of the court. After receiving treatment, Potapova returned for what proved to be the last three points, but could barely move.
“I’m pretty happy with how I stayed in the fight,” Andreeva said.
“Also, you know, it’s not the perfect end to the match, as well.”
Andreeva now faces Coco Gauff, who showed she is not messing about with a 6-1, 6-4 win that was tougher than it sounded over No. 14 seed Iva Jović.
— Matt Futterman
Shot of the day
Coco Gauff and Iva Jović played a barnstorming point, but it was Gauff who chased down a drop shot and then flicked away a winner:
Drop Shots
🇺🇸 How the players carrying the future of American men’s tennis are trying to take over the present.
🎁 Ben Shelton has more gifts to unwrap if he is going to become the player he wants to be.
⏩ Coco Gauff’s tennis vows that are propelling her toward U.S. Open glory.
🎞️ Bringing back this recap from Day 2, purely for the piece of tennis cinema within.
Up next: Quarterfinals
🎾 Women’s singles: Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Linda Nosková (6)
11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Unlimited
Linda Nosková, the Wimbledon champion, is Aryna Sabalenka’s first big test of her U.S. Open title defense. In their most recent meeting, at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif., the 28-year-old Belarusian eased past her 21-year-old Czech counterpart. But since then, Nosková has solidified while Sabalenka has stumbled, and the Czech has also gotten through some tough matches to reach this one. Will Sabalenka be ready enough without being battle-tested?
🎾 Men’s singles: Frances Tiafoe (11) vs. Alex Michelsen
~ 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Unlimited
At 28, Frances Tiafoe loves to joke about getting old — and about how young some of the players he has to conquer at his favorite tournament are. Tiafoe, the 2022 and 2024 semifinalist, labeled Alex Michelsen, the 22-year-old Californian, as “13” in a news conference earlier this week, before crediting Michelsen’s rise and his all-court game. This is Michelsen’s first Grand Slam quarterfinal, so Tiafoe has more experience on bigger stages as well as in general.
🎾 Women’s singles: Jessica Pegula (3) vs. Emma Navarro (26)
7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Unlimited
Jessica Pegula leads her head-to-head with Emma Navarro 4-0, but two of the matches between the 32-year-old and the 25-year-old Americans have gone to three sets. Despite Elena Rybakina’s results, Pegula is still vying for world No. 1 for at least one more match, while Navarro is on her best run at a major since the 2025 Australian Open.
🎾 Men’s singles: Ben Shelton (8) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2)
~ 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Unlimited
The defending champion, 23-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, runs into the top American hope left, 23-year-old Ben Shelton. Shelton has reasons to be bullish on his chances, having found a groove in the previous round, but Alcaraz too has found some of his magic as he returns from a right wrist injury. Alcaraz, one of the best first-serve returners on the tour, is one of the few who can meaningfully neutralize Shelton’s serve.
U.S. Open 2026 women’s bracketU.S. Open 2026 men’s bracket
Tell us what you noticed on the ninth day…