Images from the US Open matches played at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame stiff resistance to power into the US Open fourth round with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over 27th seed Denis Shapovalov on Saturday that extended his unbeaten run at hardcourt Grand Slams to 24 matches.
The 24-year-old Italian has not lost on his dominant surface at the majors since 2023, capturing two Australian Open titles as well as last year's trophy at Flushing Meadows.
"Very tough match today. I know Denis a long time. The last time that we played was some years ago," Sinner said, referring to his defeat by the Canadian in the opening round of the Australian Open in 2021.
"We both have improved so much. I knew I had to play at a very high level. I'm happy that I managed to win. He started off very well.
"I tried to stay there mentally, trying to see what's coming. Thank you so much for the support. It's been amazing since so many years. I'm very happy."
There was a hint of concern from Sinner's team when he made a double fault to go 0-30 down at 2-5 in the first set, but the world number one held serve and raised his fist to loud roars after hitting a spectacular lob en route to breaking back.
A rattled Shapovalov remonstrated with the chair umpire during the changeover, protesting an automated foot fault, but composed himself and snatched the set after a fourth double fault from Sinner drew gasps at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
As shadows engulfed the main showcourt, the ice-cool Sinner breezed through the next set with minimum fuss to go level, and dug himself out of a hole from 0-3 in the next to claim six straight games and lead the match for the first time.
Sinner broke again in the following set and a frustrated Shapovalov sarcastically pumped his fists and glared at his team before the world number one put him out of his misery to set up a clash with Tommy Paul or Alexander Bublik.
"Week two is completely different," Sinner added.
"You'll see less people behind the scenes. It's a great sign that I'm still here. I'm looking forward to the next match. It's getting tougher physically and mentally, it's all different.
"It's a special place for me for many years. The first time that I played the main draw of a slam was here. And I won last year. It's an amazing place to be. Let's see what's coming."
Auger-Aliassime stuns Zverev to reach last 16
Felix Auger-Aliassime rallied from a set down to stun world number three Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4 and reach the last 16 at the US Open on Saturday.
Auger-Aliassime battled to pull off one of the biggest wins of his career, returning to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time since his 2021 semi-final run.
"I'm still young but it's been a few years and I'm working my way... Some of you might be the first time you’re watching me tonight, but this feels really good," said the 25-year-old.
"The job's not done. Tournament is still going. But this means a lot to me. A lot of hard work. Many years of it."
Zverev edged a tight opener, the German third seed striking early with a break in the opening game.
Though the Canadian clawed it back Zverev immediately pushed again to reclaim the lead and then slammed the door shut to win the set, rattling off three routine holds without facing a break.
The second set turned into a serving showcase with neither player facing a break point as it went to a tiebreak.
Zverev, still searching for his first Grand Slam title, looked poised to pull away after a double fault gave him the edge at 4-4, but Auger-Aliassime again fought back with fearless shotmaking.
Both let set points slip before the Canadian finally snatched it 9-7, a fortuitous net cord sealing the set and squaring the match.
The 25th seed raised his game in the third, breaking early and hitting sharp winners that rattled the German, who slammed his racket as he grew increasingly frustrated as the set steadily slipped away.
Auger-Aliassime took full control in the fourth set as he went on to break to love, seizing a decisive advantage and closing out the set on serve to secure the win in front of a raucous crowd at the Louis Armstrong stadium.
The Canadian will face Russian Andrey Rublev in the next round.
Swiatek survives Kalinskaya scare to reach US Open last 16
Iga Swiatek's first evening under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium nearly turned into a nightmare before the world number two summoned her championship resolve to beat Anna Kalinskaya 7-6(2), 6-4 at the US Open on Saturday.
The Wimbledon winner found herself staring down the barrel at 5-1 in the opening set of their third-round clash as Russian 29th seed Kalinskaya threatened to repeat her stunning upset victory over Swiatek in Dubai last year.
"Well, for sure it wasn't the easy match, especially after the beginning," a relieved Swiatek said.
"I'm happy that I came back and started playing better, because for sure I did some mistakes in the beginning of the first set that I wish didn't happen."
The Pole was far from her sharpest in the scrappy, error-strewn contest -- nine breaks and 67 unforced errors by both players combined painted the picture of a match won through sheer bloody-mindedness rather than sublime shot-making.
Yet Swiatek steadied herself at the key moments, serving up a masterclass in mental fortitude as the 2022 U.S. Open champion clawed her way back into contention.
She saved four set points in the first, eventually dominating the tiebreak 7-2, and broke late in the second to notch her 20th major match win of the season, drawing level with defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
The key to her remarkable turnaround? Keeping her cool when panic might have been the natural response.
"At 5-1 or something, it's easy to panic, and I didn't. So that's good," Swiatek said.
The six-times Grand Slam champion revealed she made crucial tactical adjustments mid-match.
"I focused on, like, two technical things that I figured out might help me," she said.
"When the ball was easier, I played too long sometimes. I wanted to keep the margins, I guess, to not make unforced errors."
The victory propels Swiatek into the last 16 for the fifth year in succession in New York, where she will face 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Gauff finds form in third-round win
American third seed Coco Gauff completed a confidence-boosting 6-3, 6-1 win over Poland's Magdalena Frech in the US Open third round on Saturday, finding her rhythm after a nervous start to the tournament.
Gauff made a flurry of unforced errors in her opening match and struggled with her serve in a tearful second-round win, but the 2023 champion kept her cool to subdue the 28th seed and set up a blockbuster fourth round showdown with another Flushing Meadows fan favourite -- twice winner Naomi Osaka.
"I have been on this tour since I was 15, and I think I've done pretty well with the mental side of things," she said.
"There are moments I wish I could show up better, but when they happen, I think I just try to get up and be a better version of myself. Well, sometimes the next point, not even the next day."
After trading early breaks, Gauff broke the Pole in the eighth game and pumped her fist in celebration as Frech sent a shot out on set point.
The Roland Garros winner showed considerable improvements on her much-maligned serve, with four double faults compared to 18 across her first two rounds, and outlasted Frech in a 20-shot rally to get the break in the third game of the second set.
Gauff broke her to love in the fifth as the unseeded Pole made a number of unforced errors and was firing on all cylinders from the baseline in the final game as Frech sent another shot out on match point.
"It's been an emotional week," said Gauff, who booked her fourth straight trip to the Flushing Meadows round of 16.
"I think I needed those tough moments to be able to move forward. I was putting so much pressure on myself."
Osaka overcomes Kasatskina
Four-time major champion Osaka overcame a mid-match wobble to overpower 15th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, while last year's champion Gauff.
Organisers could not have scripted it better for US fans: a showdown between two charismatic former champions six years after their memorable first meeting at Flushing Meadows.
In 2019, defending champion Osaka routed a tearful 15-year-old Gauff 6-3 6-0, then comforted her opponent and urged her to address fans in the stadium, a display of sportsmanship that delighted the crowd.
"It would be a cool kind of deja vu type of situation, but hopefully it will be a different result," Gauff said.
