Jannik Sinner brushed aside heat concerns to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, while Iga Swiatek ended home hopes by overpowering Maddison Inglis in Melbourne.
Alexander Zverev has made a remarkable turnaround at the U.S. Open, progressing from early struggles to reach his second final at Flushing Meadows. After being pushed to five sets in his initial matches, he has since won four consecutive matches without dropping a set, setting the stage for a potential second Grand Slam title.
Fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva fought back from a set down to defeat Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, reaching her first US Open quarterfinal after Potapova's injury.
While Sinner is into his fifth Grand Slam semi-final, Shelton, who turned pro in 2022, is set to play just his second after reaching the last four at the 2023 US Open.
Shelton blasted an ace on match point to seal the win and avenge his five-set loss to Tiafoe at last year's U.S. Open as the 22-year-old continues to make strides in his breakout season.
Novak Djokovic is aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, but recent physical struggles, particularly in high heat and humidity, raise questions about his ability to endure the demanding tournament. Despite his experience, the 39-year-old faces a challenging field and needs to manage his energy carefully to achieve his historic goal.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz has spoken about the "intrusive thoughts" he experienced during his nearly five-month layoff due to a wrist injury. Ahead of his U.S. Open title defence, the Spaniard revealed the mental challenges of not knowing his return date, especially after missing major tournaments. He is now set to compete, though his rival Jannik Sinner has withdrawn.
Canadian Open champion Shelton was locked in an entertaining contest with Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the day's opening match on Louis Armstrong Stadium when his tournament suddenly unravelled.
Zverev and Shelton tested each other in a high-quality encounter before the world number three played a near flawless tiebreak to clinch the match in little over two hours and stretch his career win-loss record over the American to 3-0.
Novak Djokovic confirmed that Serena Williams is hitting the gym harder than ever ahead of her eagerly awaited Wimbledon return as he led the praise for the 44-year-old American icon on Saturday.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner dismissed eighth seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the Australian Open semi-finals and extend the country's decades-long wait for another homegrown singles winner at the Grand Slam on Wednesday.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams is set to make a highly anticipated return to the tournament on Tuesday, facing Maya Joint in the first round. The 44-year-old tennis icon, who had announced her retirement in 2022, is back in competitive play this month. The day's schedule also features defending champion Iga Swiatek and other top seeds like Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina.
Fritz, Shelton lead American charge at US Open with first-round wins
Defending champion Jannik Sinner returns to the All England Club as the top seed and still the player to beat.
Novak Djokovic was given an early scare but continued his bid for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon trophy and standalone 25th Grand Slam title by beating Italian Flavio Cobolli.
Ben Shelton said uncharacteristic errors at crucial moments had proved costly during his Australian Open semi-final loss against defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the last four of the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 7-6(4) round-robin win over two-times winner Alexander Zverev on Friday and Jannik Sinner extended his indoor hardcourt unbeaten run by beating American Ben Shelton.
Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic defeated Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Italian Open, marking Djokovic's first opening match loss at the tournament in 19 appearances.
Shelton was broken in the opening and closing games of the first set, unable to take advantage of a break point at 2-1 down while Sinner was always capable of pulling out an ace at the crucial time, hitting two in that fourth game to hold serve.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and rival Carlos Alcaraz led congratulations for Jannik Sinner after he successfully defended his Wimbledon men's singles title, a victory that also significantly widened his lead over Alcaraz in the 'Big Titles' race.
Jannik Sinner kept alive his dream of becoming the first Italian to lift three Grand Slam singles trophies.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner returns to Wimbledon with his aura of invincibility dented after a dominant stretch, leaving the world number one to prove he can impose his game on grass and keep the challengers led by Novak Djokovic at bay.
Carlos Alcaraz began his bid for a first ATP Finals trophy with a win over Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev overpowered Ben Shelton in their round-robin openers.
'I tried to calm myself as I was mad, angry and talking not really good things. I'm really happy not to let those thoughts play against me.'
The opening Grand Slam of the year begins at Melbourne Park on Sunday.
Naomi Osaka battled past Donna Vekic in straight sets to reach the French Open third round for the first time since 2019, continuing her impressive comeback run at Roland Garros.
Talk about a man in a hurry -- 10th seed Ben Shelton required just 55 seconds to finish off Australian Rinky Hijikata and reach the Wimbledon third round on Friday.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are poised to reignite their rivalry at the ATP Finals, with the year-ending championship that begins on Sunday expected to produce another title showdown between the pair in a season that has belonged to them.
Zheng Qinwen saw off a spirited challenge from Diana Shnaider to secure a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-3 win in their Pan Pacific Open semi-final on Saturday and set up a title clash against American Sofia Kenin.
It marks Osaka's first WTA 1000 semi-final since Miami in 2022, as the Japanese former world number one needed just over an hour to secure victory over the 10th seeded Svitolina.
Australia booked their place in the Davis Cup semi-finals as doubles pair Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson clinched the deciding rubber against the United States on Thursday.
The Americans found their rhythm to wrap up a final-day victory
Defending champion Jannik Sinner reached the semi-finals of the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over two-times winner Alexander Zverev on Wednesday, with Ben Shelton eliminated after losing earlier to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the same group.
Twice defending champion Jessica Pegula crashed out of the Canadian Open after losing to Anastasija Sevastova 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the third round on Friday, while six-times major winner Iga Swiatek marched on with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over Eva Lys.
IMAGES from Day 9 of the US Open, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York.
Alcaraz off to winning start at ATP Finals with win over De Minaur
Novak Djokovic's quest for a record Grand Slam title continued in dramatic circumstances after fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti quit their Australian Open quarter-final match with an injury after taking a two-set lead at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner, who has been recovering from illness, received a more favourable route to the US Open final than Carlos Alcaraz while Aryna Sabalenka will be tested in her bid to retain her title after the draw was made on Thursday.
Thiem said he had no regrets retiring at 30.
Images from the US Open men's singles third round match at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Friday.
