Day 4 at the US Open promises to be a blockbuster as second-round action kicks off with some of the biggest names in tennis taking the court. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz look to continue their progress, while American fans will be cheering on 2024 runner-up Jessica Pegula. Women’s top seed and defending champ Aryna Sabalenka and 2021 champioon Emma Raducanu also face tough tests.
Djokovic’s Next Test
Four-time US Open champion Novak Djokovic, 38, survived a gritty first-round win over Learner Tien but admitted he struggled with fitness and recovery during long exchanges. “I don’t have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points,” Djokovic said.
After two days of rest, Djokovic will face American qualifier Zachary Svajda on Wednesday. The Serbian, who hadn’t played since Wimbledon, is looking to find his rhythm and start building momentum in New York.
American Men in Action
Day 4 at Flushing Meadows will feature several big American vibes. 2024 finalist Taylor Fritz and No. 6 seed Ben Shelton will be on court, with Fritz facing a challenging opponent while Shelton takes on Pablo Carreno Busta.
Two-time US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe will meet qualifier Martin Damm, and Marcos Giron goes up against the man who toppled Daniil Medvedev, France’s Benjamin Bonzi. Overall, eight of the remaining 11 American men in the draw will be in action on Day 4.
A Big Day For Teens
Day 4 at the US Open will also spotlight the next generation, with several teenage players in action. Joao Fonseca, Mirra Andreeva, Iva Jovic, and Jakub Mensik will all take to the court, giving fans a glimpse of the sport’s rising stars and plenty of exciting young talent to watch in Flushing Meadows.
Philippine sensation Alexandra Eala and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen will also be back in action, each looking to make history for their countries. Eala, the first player from the Philippines to ever win a Grand Slam match faces Cristina Bucsa of Spain, while Indonesian star Tjen takes on 2021 champion Emma Raducanu.
Frances Tiafoe says people used to "clown" him for believing he would become a pro tennis player, but adds he is now the last one laughing.
The American tennis star, whose parents immigrated from Sierra Leone to the United States in the 1990s to escape the civil war that was happening at the time, celebrated his 27th birthday in January.
At 27, Tiafoe has achieved some notable stuff and he has been regularly participating in the main-level tournaments for several years now. In his collection, the current world No. 12 has three ATP titles and he is also a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist. Also, he knows how it feels to be a top-10 player, having achieved a career-high ranking of No. 10 in mid-2023.
While Tiafoe has been one of the faces of American men's tennis for the past couple of years, he was once heavily doubted.
Tiafoe: People wouldn't take me seriously when I'd tell them I wanted to be a pro
“I’d tell guys from the [club] that I’d want to be a pro. They would just clown and not take it seriously. I was always like: ‘Don’t worry, man. I’m going to be the last person laughing.’ Here we are today," the 2022 and 2024 US Open semifinalist told The Guardian.
As mentioned above, Tiafoe has a solid resume and he has proven capable of doing some nice things. However, the world No. 12 believes the best is yet to come and that he will pull off much better accomplishments before he retires.
“I’m still young – I’ve still got a lot more to achieve. I still haven’t scratched the surface of my career," the American said.
Currently, Tiafoe is competing at the Cincinnati Masters, where he plays Ugo Humbert in the third round. Last year, the 27-year-old came close to winning the biggest title of his career in Cincinnati before losing to Jannik Sinner in the final.
Tiafoe is certainly hoping to go a step further this year and lift his maiden Masters title in Cincy.
Jannik Sinner is ready to return to action at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, a tournament where he had triumphed in 2024 without playing his best tennis. The world number 1 was not at the top of his shape in Ohio a year ago, also due to the imminent ITIA ruling relating to his doping case. For this reason, the Italian ace had more difficulty than expected during his run, but he was able to raise his level in the decisive moments and lifted the trophy by beating local idol Frances Tiafoe in the final.
After winning his first Wimbledon title last month, the 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria went on holiday to Sardinia and preferred to skip the Toronto Masters 1000 (where he had triumphed two years ago starting his rise). The four-time Grand Slam champion – who has also decided to reinstate Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach – has already arrived in Ohio and immediately started practicing to get used to the conditions.
Jannik wants to defend the title he won there last season and above all he wants to gain confidence in view of the US Open, which will start on August 24 in New York. As everyone knows, most of the top players will also play mixed doubles in this edition and Sinner will join forces with Emma Navarro.
Sanguinetti opens up on Sinner
In a recent interview with 'SuperTennis', former ATP ace Davide Sanguinetti expressed his honest opinion on Sinner's current status: "He is a war machine who stops at nothing, he knows what his goals are and gives his best to achieve them. It must also be added that players are very professional nowadays and take care of every detail, whereas in my time we traveled almost alone.
Jannik deserves to be thanked because he has contributed more than anyone else to the growth of Italian tennis, everyone knows him in Italy and wants to become like him."
The world No.1 will have a first-round bye in Cincinnati and will make his debut directly in the second round.
By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 3, 2025 Photo credit: Tennis TV
Sounds of squealing sneakers reverberated around the Toronto court.
Alex de Minaur barely spoke a word during the decisive set today, but his Asic shoes wouldn’t shut up.
Bursting off the baseline with deep desire, de Minaur ran down drop shots to score the key break fending off Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to roar into his seventh quarterfinal of the season at the ATP 1000 National Bank Open.
A week after de Minaur denied three championship points to out-duel Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Washington, DC final and capture his 10th career title, he lived up to his “Speed Demon” nickname scoring his seventh straight win.
“There’s a lot of quick movers out there. Maybe this year I haven’t had to rely on it as much because I’m focusing on trying to be a little bit more aggressive,” de Minaur said. “Course, you know, there’s still plenty of hours that have been put on in the gym, off the court, to make sure that my footwork and speed is what it is.
“I like to think that it helps in defending and retrieving, but also it helps me in taking time away from my opponents. I’m using it to my advantage to get to the net very quickly and kind of anticipate the next shot. So it’s not only for defensive use, I’m also trying to use it in an aggressive nature as well.”
It’s a historic victory for de Minaur—his 212th career hard court triumph equals two-time US Open champion Patrick Rafter for second on the Australian all-time list in the Open Era trailing only his Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, who was 372-158 lifetime on his favored hard courts.
The ninth-seeded de Minaur will face either world No. 7 Ben Shelton or 17th-ranked Wimbledon quarterfinalist Flavio Cobolli for a semifinal spot. De Minaur is 2-0 lifetime against the 23-year-old Cobolli and has yet to face Shelton in a pro match.
Bouncing on his toes behind the baseline, de Minaur exuded more energy, clarity and consistency at the start today.
Tiafoe dragged a forehand wide and scattered a slice backhand gifting the Aussie the opening-game break.
A sound de Minaur rolled through 12 of the next 15 points, bleeding forehand errors from Tiafoe for a second straight break then holding at 15 to lead 4-0 after just 16 minutes of play.
Though Tiafoe earned a couple of break points in the sixth game, he couldn’t find the court on either break point. De Minaur drew a pair of forehand return errors extending his lead to 5-1.
The ninth-seeded Aussie served out the 37-minute opener at 15.
Elevating his first serve percentage from 39 percent to 59 percent in the second set, Tiafoe played more proactive tennis in the second.
The pair combined for four consecutive breaks to start the second set.
At 4-all, 30-40, Tiafoe fought off a break point then dug in to win the longest game of the set edging ahead 5-4.
Though de Minaur went up 30-love in the ensuing game, Tiafoe would not be denied. Ripping a forehand down the line and attacking at the right time, Tiafoe earned set point. The man from Maryland rattled out a framed forehand from his opponent snatching the second set with a raised fist.
After about a seven-minute bathroom break, Tiafoe returned revitalized in tearing through 12 of the first 14 points on serve to stake a 3-2 lead.
Tiafoe held double break point for a potential 4-2 lead, but de Minaur saved the first forcing a forehand miss. On the second break point, the pair produced one of the most dazzling points of the day. A 15-shot rally saw the Aussie nudge a half volley that Tiafoe ran down and poked a pass crosscourt. De Minaur recovered a ball behind him and hit a forehand into the open court to save the second break point. An ace down the T helped de Minaur level at 3-all.
Tiafoe was snapping the slice serve down the T as he stamped his second love hold of the set for 4-3.
Deadlocked at 4-all, Tiafoe showed the good, the bad and the downright crazy of his game. The good was three aces in the game. The bad was Foe’s stubborn insistence on continuing to play the drop shot against one of the sport’s fastest players. And the crazy was even after seeing de Minaur make those running retrievals and seeing the Aussie was hovering right near the baseline, Tiafoe kept indulging his drop-shot fixation.
At one point, de Minaur careened corner to corner like an ambulance driver answering a 911 call as he hit a full-stretch forehand followed by a running backhand then read the dropper and scrambled forward to retrieve prompting Tiafoe to push a half volley into net.
“It’s kind of, it’s part of my DNA, right, never to let a point go, no matter what position in the rally I’m in,” de Minaur said. “Yeah, today was a crucial example of what it can mean if you make that extra point, right.
It was a huge moment, it gave me a break point, and even though I wasn’t able to convert it, it really did send a message that I wanted that game. Yeah, I mean, I don’t have the biggest weapons out here, but one thing I can rely on is my legs.”
You’d think after seeing the Speed Demon pull off that spectacular series of running gets, the last shot on Tiafoe’s mind would be the dropper.
Well think again.
Inexplicably, a couple of points later, Tiafoe tapped a dropper that sat up, de Minaur easily ran it down and shoveled a forehand pass breaking for 5-4.
Still, de Minaur needed a bit of luck to end it hitting a net-cord winner for 30-5. The slider serve brought the Aussie match point and de Minaur closed on another forehand error from Tiafoe, whose forehand failed him at the wrong times today.
A terrific battle that included chair umpire Mo Lahyani advising a parent in the crowd to “please give that baby some love” in response to a crying child ended with a well-earned ovation after two hours, 24 minutes. De Minaur raised his record to 37-13 on the season, he is No. 3 on the Tour for most victories in 2025.
“Tunnel vision,” de Minaur wrote on the court-side camera, summing up another gritty win for the 2025 ATP hard-court win leader.
By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 3, 2025 Photo credit: Katie Boulter Instagram
The couple that plays together stays together.
Alex de Minaur calls playing mixed doubles with fiancé Katie Boulter at Wimbledon one his career highlights.
That’s one reason why the Washington, D.C. champion is making the case to the USTA for a wild card for he and Boulter into this month’s US Open Mixed Doubles.
“Yeah, a hundred percent. I mean, look, I think we’re doing our best to put a really good case forward to hopefully get that wild card,” de Minaur told the media in Toronto today after edging Frances Tiafoe for his seventh straight win. “Yeah, I mean, one of the most enjoyable moments I’ve had on a tennis court was playing Wimbledon mixed doubles with her.”
The USTA released the current roster of teams for the new US Open Mixed doubles tournament, which will be staged for the first time during fan week, the week before singles main-draw play begins.
Here’s a look at the teams currently set to play:
There are currently two open spots remaining and de Minaur is hoping he and Boulter will be given a wild card to fill one of them.
“It was pretty damn cool [to play with Boulter], so I would love to go back and, yeah, play again,” de Minaur said today. “And to play such an exciting event with the world’s best tennis players would be pretty cool. So hopefully they give us a chance to do that, and I don’t know, I mean, yeah, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Photo credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty
A torn pectoral muscle shattered Grigor Dimitrov’s Wimbledon dream—and ended his 2025 US Open before it began.
The 34-year-old Dimitrov has withdrawn from the US Open as he continues recovery from a partial rupture of his pectoral muscle he suffered while leading world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in the Wimbledon round of 16.
Tennis Express player gear
Dimitrov’s manager, Georgi Stoimenov, confirmed his client’s withdrawal from the Flushing Meadows major to Bulgarian website Tennis Kafe.
The withdrawal ended Dimitrov’s remarkable run of 58 consecutive Grand Slam appearances that dates back to the 2011 Australian Open. Dimitrov held the longest streak of consecutive Slams played among active men and the fifth longest streak in Open Era history. Mutua Madrid Open tournament director and Dimitrov friend Feliciano Lopez owns the longest streak with 79 consecutive Grand Slams in a row. That streak ended in 2022.
The 20th-ranked Dimitrov, who won the 2008 Wimbledon boys and US Open boys’ championships in succession, reached the Flushing Meadows quarterfinals last year bowing to Frances Tiafoe.
A 2019 US Open semifinalist, Dimitrov has contested semifinals at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including the 2014 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open.
In a classic clash vs. the king of clay Rafael Nadal, Dimitrov pushed Nadal to five sets in a 2017 Australian Open marathon match.
Driven to the brink in a pulsating four hour, 56-minute clash, Nadal fought off a dynamic Dimitrov, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4, to reach his 24th Grand Slam final in Melbourne.
Jannik Sinner's last two seasons have projected him into a new dimension. The Italian ace has not only become the best player in the world together with Carlos Alcaraz, but has shown consistency combined with mental strength that have few equals in the history of tennis.
The current world number 1 wants to enter the list of the best ever and works hard every day to achieve this goal, while being aware that he still has a long way to go to reach certain legends who have become icons all over the planet.
The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria has already won four Grand Slam titles and a few weeks ago he took away the enormous satisfaction of winning Wimbledon for the first time in his career, taking revenge on his top rival Alcaraz who had beaten him in the Roland Garros final after canceling three match points in a row.
Panatta speaks about Sinner
Jannik is aiming to defend his title at the US Open later this summer and is practicing in Monte Carlo right now, after deciding to skip the Toronto Masters 1000 to recharge his batteries. He will return to action in Cincinnati next month and will also be called upon to defend his title in Ohio, where he had beaten Frances Tiafoe in the final of the 2024 edition.
The Italian star has just celebrated his 60th week in a row at the top of the ATP rankings and will try to maintain this position until the end of the season, although it will not be easy given the huge amount of points he will have to defend in the coming months.
During a long interview with the Italian magazine 'TV Sorrisi e Canzoni', Adriano Panatta explained what makes his young compatriot so special: "The mind is definitely the main factor that differentiates Sinner from all the other players. He is never satisfied and always studies new methods to improve together with his team.
His game is quite basic, he doesn't have a lot of variation, but the truth is that no one can keep up with his pace for an extended period of time."
Frances Tiafoe straight up ripped the new Toronto Masters final date as "weird" and "garbage."
On Sunday, which was July 27th, the main action officially started at the Canadian Masters tournament. This year, 96 players entered the main draw for the event slated to last 12 days. In the past, the the Canadian tournament was a seven-day event, featuring 56 players.
While the first thing that stands out is the fact that the Canadian Open expanded, one of the very interesting things about this year's Toronto event is its final date – August 7th, Thursday.
Tiafoe, who is making his seventh appearance at the Canadian Masters this year, was asked about the format change. And while he is excited about being in Toronto, he admitted to being a but stunned by some of the changes implemented by the tournament.
Tiafoe on the Canadian Masters final date: That's garbage…
"It is what it is. I like that it’s a bit shorter than Madrid, Rome. Weird because the final is on a Thursday. That’s garbage. But, I mean, I think it’s going to be great. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I love the city of Toronto. My girlfriend’s from there. Then I’ve got a lot of friends in the league from there, so I’m going to be set up, have a good time," the American tennis star said.
In the past, Tiafoe played three times in Toronto and three times in Montreal. So far, the 27-year-old has had more success in the Ontario region, reaching the round-of-16 twice when the Canadian Masters was taking place in that particular. In Montreal, the American has never made it past the second round.
This year, Tiafoe is seeded at No. 7 and has a first-round bye. Then, he will the winner of the match between Daniel Altmaier and Yosuke Watanuki.
Since Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are all skipping Canada this year, there could be Tiafoe's chance to possibly make a run and play that final next Thursday.
Ben Shelton produced a statement victory in the third round of the ATP 500 event in Washington. World no. 8 faced Gabriel Diallo in the third round and notched a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory in 61 minutes.
The 4th seed dominated from start to finish, making the difference with his booming initial shot and outplaying the Canadian in every department. Shelton took 22 points more than his rival.
Ben blasted 16 aces and as many service winners, dropping six points in nine service games and facing no break points. Diallo felt the pressure and cracked under it.
🎙️ "Attention les joueurs servent très vite"
Shelton claque un service qui touche une spectatrice
The lower-ranked player struggled behind the second serve and got broken three times from four chances offered to his rival. The American landed 22 winners and seven unforced errors.
They split the 14 most extended points, and a left-hander dominated those up to four strokes, building a 47-25 advantage. The home favorite provided five comfortable holds in the first set.
He made a push on the return in the second game and caused the rival's mistake with a sharp return for an early advantage. Ben fired an ace in the third game and forged a 3-0 advantage after only eight minutes.
The 4th seed held at love for 4-1 and landed a service winner two games later to maintain the advantage. Diallo served well after that early setback. He held in game eight to reduce the deficit to 5-3 and prolong the battle.
However, Shelton painted an ace in game nine for a hold at love and 6-3 in half an hour. The Canadian hit a double fault in the third game of the second set, losing serve and moving closer to the exit door.
The American closed the next game at love, you guess, with an ace, and made another push on the return at 3-1. He cracked a forehand down the line winner for a break point and converted it with another forehand winner that sent him 4-1 in front.
Shelton held with an unreturned serve in the sixth game, moving 5-1 up and serving for the win at 5-2. A left-hander sealed the deal with an ace, racing over the top and arranging a thrilling clash against Frances Tiafoe.
Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter will partner in new US Open mixed doubles format.
By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, July 21, 2025
Photo credit: Four Seasons
Venus Williams will celebrate the 25th anniversary of her maiden US Open crown returning to play Flushing Meadows.
Former world No. 1 Venus will partner good friend Reilly Opelka in next month's US Open Mixed Doubles event, the USTA announced today.
The 45-year-old Venus is set to play her first pro match in 16 months in Washington, DC this week.
A quarter century ago, Venus Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport 6-4, 7-5 to capture her first US Open singles crown. Venus successfully defended the US Open in 2001 when she defeated younger sister and 1999 champion Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 in one of the most-widely viewed US Open women's finals.
Proving the couple that plays together, stays together, Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur will partner fiancee Katie Boulter at the US Open.
"Yeah, we're definitely going to be keen to try and play if they allow us to and if they want us to," de Minaur told the media at Queen's Club last month. "If that's an option, then we'll definitely be up for it."
One of tennis' top glamor couples announced their engagement on December 23rd on social media.
Earlier this season, de Minaur shared earning "big bucks" to pay for the wedding is one of his driving forces on court these days.
“Realistically, what's driving me at the moment is trying to earn some big bucks for this wedding budget,” De Minaur told Tennis Channel in April. “That's the only thing on my mind—trying to win as many matches as I can, because I've started to look at venues and it's expensive. I can tell you that.”
Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who have reportedly endeded their relationship, are no longer on the US Open Mixed Doubles entry list.
Given the US Open Mixed Doubles champions will earn $1 Million for capturing the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles crown, that could be even more motivation for de Minaur and Boulter to join forces in Flushing Meadows and cover their wedding budget.
In total, 25 teams have now entered the event.
The competition will take place during US Open Fan Week on Tuesday, August 19, and Wednesday, August 20, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with $1 Million in prize money being awarded to the winning team.
Though Fan Week remains free, fans will need to buy tickets to watch the US Open Mixed Doubles.
The entry window will close on July 28th at 12:00 ET, at which time the top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking at the time will officially be in the field/draw via direct acceptance.
The remaining eight teams will be determined via wild card and announced on a date to follow.
The entry list for the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship includes the following teams:
Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner
Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune
Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul
Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti
Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz
Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev
Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe
Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud
Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev
Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz
Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev
Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic
Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios
Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur
Donna Vekic and Hubert Hurkacz Gaby Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime Demi Schuurs and Tallon Griekspoor Katerina Siniakova and Marcelo Arevalo Desirae Krawczyk and Evan King Su-Wei Hsieh and Jan Zielinski Iva Jovic and Jenson Brooksby Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka
“In our initial discussions about reimagining and elevating the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship, we wanted to find a way to showcase the world’s best men and women competing with and against one another, and we were confident that we would be able to get the top players in the game excited about this unique opportunity,” said Lew Sherr, CEO and Executive Director, USTA. “Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited.
"It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it.”
Day Ten at Roland Garros saw the first two men’s semi-final spots claimed, and neither match went the distance. Lorenzo Musetti continued his dream clay season with a composed four-set win over Frances Tiafoe, seizing the key moments late in the third before powering through the fourth to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. Carlos …
It's been a banner year for Team USA on the Parisian clay.
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday May 31, 2025
Paris – American tennis has smashed a record that stood for 40 years at Roland-Garros. Eight Americans – five women, three men – have reached the singles Round of 16 at the French Open for the first time in 40 years.
The last time the Roland-Garros fourth round featured eight or more American players was 1985, also with five women and three men.
On the women’s side, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova and Hailey Baptiste reached the fourth round. On the men’s side, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe made it through.
The American men have placed three in the second week for the first time since 1995. All three Americans will be in action on Sunday in Paris, with Shelton taking on Alcaraz, Paul facing Alexei Popyrin and Tiafoe facing Daniel Altmaier.
On the women’s side, Anisimova will face Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday.
Keys will face Baptiste in an all-American clash on Monday, Pegula will take on France’s Loic Boisson, while Gauff will face Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia.
