Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a sluggish opening set, Aryna Sabalenka delivered one of the most dominant performances of the tournament and Daniel Mérida surprised another prominent seed as the second round began on a rain-affected fourth day at the US Open.
Jessica Pegula, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Daniil Medvedev also advanced, while Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the third round in New York for the first time since 2021. Several players were still completing first-round matches postponed from Tuesday, producing an unusual schedule in which some competitors secured third-round places before others had finished their opening assignments.
Alcaraz responds after early setback
Alcaraz encountered his first serious test since returning from the wrist injury that kept him out for almost five months, but the defending champion responded impressively to defeat Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.
The Spaniard had looked sharp in his straight-sets victory over Roman Safiullin on Monday, his first singles match in 139 days. Faria presented a different challenge under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, combining fearless hitting with serves that regularly reached 140 mph.
Faria secured the only break of the opening set to lead 4-3 and protected that advantage with confident serving. Alcaraz appeared impatient, forcing his attacking shots before the opportunity had properly developed.
“It was a tough match,” Alcaraz said. “I was feeling great, but I was in a rush and I didn’t take time and it cost me a break.”
The match could have become considerably more complicated when Faria created two break points at the start of the second set. Alcaraz escaped, settled into the contest and then accelerated. He won the next six games to level the match, using his drop shot and athleticism around the net to disrupt Faria’s rhythm.
“Against someone like Jaime, who serves at 140-141 miles per hour every time, you have to try and be focused and calm,” Alcaraz said. “I told myself good things are going to happen. I just had to stay there all the time.”
Once Alcaraz established control, Faria could not recover it. The seven-time Grand Slam champion tightened his defence, made fewer errors and moved comfortably through the final two sets.
“The crowd is super electric here in the night session,” Alcaraz said. “I love playing in front of such a great atmosphere.”
Alcaraz will face China’s Wu Yibing in the third round.
Sabalenka overwhelms Iatcenko
Sabalenka required only 54 minutes to dismiss Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1.
The world No. 1 controlled the match almost immediately, breaking three times in each set and producing 24 winners to Iatcenko’s three. She also won eight of 11 points at the net.
Iatcenko did manage to break Sabalenka midway through the second set, but it offered only a brief interruption. Sabalenka broke back immediately and won the remaining games to complete a performance built on power, precision and disciplined shot selection.
“I’m happy with my level,” Sabalenka said. “I’ve been working really hard, but I feel like I’m kind of moving away from trying to be perfect on court.”
That shift in attitude may be significant. Sabalenka entered the tournament under pressure both as the two-time defending champion and as the player with the No. 1 ranking to protect, but her first two rounds have been managed without serious difficulty.
“I know that you cannot be perfect, and I’m just trying to work with what I have right now,” she said. “I’m happy that I’m able to focus on myself no matter what and be consistent with my focus.”
Sabalenka will play Kamilla Rakhimova next. She leads their head-to-head series 3-0.
Shelton survives Hurkacz examination
Shelton was forced to work considerably harder, overcoming Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5 in a high-quality serving contest on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Two double faults from Hurkacz helped Shelton secure the decisive break in the opening set, but the Pole responded with 15 winners in the second. His forehand caught the baseline on set point to level the match.
Neither player created much separation in the third, which moved to a tiebreak. Shelton opened a 3-0 lead and maintained the advantage to move within one set of victory.
Hurkacz threatened to force a fifth when he earned two break points at 4-4 in the fourth set. Shelton saved both, then attacked decisively when Hurkacz served at 5-6, using his forehand to create the match-ending break.
“Super happy with the way the match went,” Shelton said. “I thought it was a battle to the end.”
The eighth seed also credited the home support for helping him through the tightest moments.
“If I was commentating, I would talk about how loud this crowd was from start to finish,” he said.
Shelton, a US Open semifinalist in 2023, will face Denis Shapovalov in the third round.
Pegula races through all-American meeting
Pegula produced an emphatic performance against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, winning 6-3, 6-1 in 56 minutes.
The third seed did not face a break point and won 33 of her 40 service points. She converted four of eight break opportunities and claimed 54 of the 86 points played.
Kenin attempted to attack early in the rallies but could not apply sustained pressure to Pegula’s serve. Pegula’s depth repeatedly prevented her fellow American from establishing an aggressive court position, and the second set quickly slipped away.
“To be out of there in under an hour, it doesn’t always happen,” Pegula said. “So I think I’m just going to take that one and run.”
Pegula, the 2024 runner-up, will face 2021 finalist Leylah Fernandez in the third round.
Medvedev advances after unusual interruption
Medvedev defeated American wild card Sebastian Gorzny 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, although the tennis was briefly overshadowed by two birds landing on the net during a second-set rally.
The chair umpire eventually stopped the point and ordered it to be replayed—but only after Medvedev had struck what he believed was a winner.
“I saw them straight away and thought the point would stop straight away,” Medvedev said. “The moment I hit the winner we stop, and I say, ‘Why?’”
The incident added an element of comedy to an otherwise controlled performance. Medvedev struck 14 aces, completed the opening set in 21 minutes and broke Gorzny in the 11th game of the third before serving out the match.
Gorzny improved as the contest progressed and survived a 33-shot rally during the final set, but Medvedev’s serving and defensive consistency prevented the American from extending the match.
“This would be definitely in the top five unusual moments,” Medvedev said. “It’s okay. It happens.”
The 2021 champion will meet Arthur Rinderknech in the third round.
Tiafoe avoids another marathon
After requiring five sets to survive his opening match, Tiafoe was relieved to defeat Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-5.
Tiafoe broke in the opening game and controlled the first set, but consecutive double faults complicated his attempt to close out the second. Sakamoto forced a tiebreak, only for Tiafoe to regroup and win four of its first five points.
Sakamoto’s serve kept him competitive. The 20-year-old struck 18 aces, but his 40 unforced errors repeatedly undermined his progress. Tiafoe broke late in the third set to avoid being drawn into another lengthy contest.
The world No. 12, a semifinalist in New York in 2022 and 2024, remains among the leading contenders seeking to end the 23-year wait for an American men’s champion at the US Open.
Mérida sends Rublev out
The most significant men’s upset came on Court 11, where Daniel Mérida defeated 23rd seed Andrey Rublev 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
After losing the opening-set tiebreak, Mérida took control by attacking Rublev’s second serve. The Spaniard won 26 of the 44 points played behind Rublev’s second delivery and converted five of his 11 break points.
Mérida also protected his own serve with impressive composure, saving five of the six break points he faced. Rublev struck 13 aces but also committed eight double faults, while Mérida held in 19 of his 20 service games.
The victory sends the 21-year-old into the third round of the US Open for the first time.
Tsitsipas also advanced after another four-set battle, defeating Lloyd Harris 6-7(1), 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-4. The result takes the former world No. 3 into the US Open third round for the first time in five years.
Muchova and Noskova lead Czech charge
Karolina Muchova delivered an even more comprehensive victory than Sabalenka, beating Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0 in under an hour.
Boulter broke serve in the opening game but did not hold serve at any stage of the match. She committed 15 unforced errors in the first set alone as Muchova took command following the early setback.
“I was happy about my composure,” Muchova said. “We changed courts to this one with the roof, so of course I’m really happy with the way I adapted.”
The two-time US Open semifinalist will play Emma Navarro, who recovered to beat Caty McNally 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova joined Muchova in the third round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Marta Kostyuk defeated 2017 champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5, while Elina Svitolina overcame Australian Maya Joint 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4. Joint saved four match points before Svitolina eventually secured victory.
Bu capitalises on unexpected opportunity
The rain-delayed first round produced the biggest upset of the day when Chinese lucky loser Bu Yunchaokete routed 12th seed Rafael Jódar 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.
Bu had lost in qualifying and briefly left the tournament before returning when withdrawals created the possibility of a place in the draw. He replaced the injured Thanasi Kokkinakis and made full use of the opportunity.
“I’m a really lucky loser,” Bu said. “When I heard that, I was super excited.”
The world No. 124 won 84 per cent of his first-serve points, while Jódar won only 52 per cent behind his. The result gave Bu his first Grand Slam main-draw victory on his seventh attempt.
“It may have looked very easy, but in my mind and my heart there were lots of emotions,” Bu said. “I was very nervous.”
Jódar, the 2024 US Open junior champion, had climbed from No. 362 to No. 13 in the rankings over the previous year but could not find his timing after having his match postponed from Tuesday.
De Minaur finally gets on court
Alex de Minaur completed his delayed first-round assignment with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri.
The Australian won 82 per cent of his first-serve points and struck 20 winners in a clean straight-sets performance interrupted by yet another rain delay.
“Been a couple tough days, but these tournaments, it’s all about adapting,” De Minaur said. “There’s too much to play for to let something like this affect you.”
A quarterfinalist in New York in each of the past two years, De Minaur has now won 12 of his last 15 US Open matches. He will face Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
“I’m glad with the way I handled it,” De Minaur said. “I thought I played a relatively clean match and now I’m focused on the next one.”
The rain continued to complicate the schedule, but by the end of Day 4 the tournament had largely caught up.
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