Key events
Uh oh. This doesn’t look good for Shelton. He’s clutching his left shoulder and asks for the physio mid-game. The umpire, Britain’s James Keothavong, accepts Shelton’s request, rather than making the American wait until the end of the game. It looks as if he’s pulled something. His dad Bryan, himself a former pro, looks fairly relaxed in the box, so perhaps he will be able to continue. Just as Struff does his stuff, taking the first set 6-4 against Tiafoe.
Elsewhere: another great American entertainer, Frances Tiafoe, is 5-3 down in the opening set against the German Jan-Lennard Struff, who’s still smashing down aces for fun at the age of 35. And Belgium’s Elise Mertens has been pulled back to one set all against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa.
Pegula’s victory wraps up the day session on Arthur Ashe, so most eyes are on Louis Armstrong, where Shelton is drinking in the applause of his home crowd as he breaks Mannarino after a quite remarkable point to take a two sets to one lead. Shelton looked down and out … but somehow scrambles to gets a defensive forehand back which lands bang on the sideline … and Mannarino, probably not expecting the ball to come back at him, nets! Shelton leads 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Pegula is so consistent – this is the fourth successive year she’s reached the fourth round or better – but does she have enough to beat the very best? She tends to defeat the players she should and lose to the ones she’s expected to – that said, she did have a couple of unexpected losses in the the buildup to this tournament, so she’ll be happy to have reached the second week with relative ease. As for Azarenka, she’s had some great moments on Arthur Ashe, having reached the final three times, the last time in 2020, but the 36-year-old won’t have today’s match on her New York showreel.
Pegula is asked how she snatched that second set:
I just tried to focus on going back to my strategy, things that were working well in the first set. I felt like I could still dig out the set for sure. I moved well, scrambled well, we train together in Florida so we know each other’s games so well. I could tell she was struggling physically so I wanted to keep her moving.
Pegula beats Azarenka 6-1, 7-5
Azarenka can’t get the ball into play. Four errant shots under pressure and Pegula holds to love. From a break and 5-4 down, Pegula now leads 6-5 and will be hoping to get this done in two sets. She’s two points away at 30-all on Azarenka’s serve – you’d say Azarenka deserves a tie-break for her efforts in this set while struggling with a left leg injury – but a tired forehand into the net gives Pegula match point. Azarenka’s second serve is soft, Pegula pounces on the return and Azarenka chops into the net. Pegula wins the battle of the former US Open finalists and is yet to drop a set this tournament.
As for Azarenka v Pegula, no sooner does Azarenka break, than she is broken serving for the second set. She’ll be kicking herself having worked so hard to get back into the match. It’s 5-5, after Pegula took the opener 6-1.
Thanks Rob. What a win that was for Vondrousova – remarkably her first against a top-10 opponent at a slam since her Wimbledon triumph in 2023. The Czech has been through so much since, including shoulder surgery and getting divorced, and she’ll next face another resurgent former Wimbledon champion in the last 16, Elena Rybakina. As for Paolini, having reached two slam finals last year, she’ll be disappointed not to go beyond the fourth round at a major this season. But it was always going to be so, so tough to match her breakout 2024.
Now it’s Pegula making the glaring errors, but can Azarenka capitalise and keep the match alive? She breaks to move 5-4 ahead in the second set and I’ll hand back to Katy to take you through to the end of the set – or match. Thanks for your time.
Azarenka has found some form out of nowhere and suddenly is asking questions of Pegula. But two badly timed double faults on deuce prove costly. The Belarusian loses a hard-fought service game and it is 4-4 in the second set. The American’s form dipped dramatically after she won the first set but she is looking stronger again now.
Mannarino wins the second set against Shelton 6-3 to level the match. The Frenchman has turned things round and is right in this absorbing contest now.
Marketa Vondrousova beats Jasmine Paolini 7-6, 6-1
That is mighty impressive stuff from Vondrousova who has fallen down the rankings after injury. Sad to see Paolini go but the No 7 seed will be back in the doubles.
Paolini loses her serve against Vondrousova to slip to the brink of defeat. She trails 5-1 in the second set and her hopes of recovering look forlorn.
Elise Mertens is 29 now and a former world No 1 in doubles. Her singles history is less impressive, but she has take the first set against Cristina Bucsa 6-3.
Paolini is in real trouble here against Vondrousova. She has been broken already in the second set and is 4-1 down having lost the first set tie-break.
Azarenka looks like she is battling an injured leg. And her ball toss is all over the place. But she hobbled through that service game to level the second set up at 1-1 against Pegula.
Over on Louis Armstrong, Mannarino has turned things around against Shelton after losing the first set. He’s 3-0 up in the second with a break and looking good.
Thanks Katy. A pleasure to be with you all tonight. Maybe my presence can bring an upturn in fortune for Azarenka. She is looking so frustrated at the moment …
Pegula, meanwhile, has charged through the first set 6-1 against Azarenka. With that, I’m off to grab some food. Rob is here to keep you company …
Paolini’s smile is gone as Vondrousova moves 2-0 and then 4-1 ahead despite a miscued lob from the Czech. Paolini reduces her arrears to 4-2 at the change of ends … but Vondrousova is such a canny competitor, with her mix of spins and slice, and it’s very quickly 6-2. Paolini pelts a winner to save the first set point … and is then absolutely pounding the ball at poor Vondrousova at the net on the second. So it’s 6-4 … and then first set Vondrousova when Paolini rams into the tramlines! The Italian is screaming at herself. Vondrousova looks so calm.
Like Alcaraz, Paolini plays with so much joy and energy, and while she hasn’t quite hit the heights that she did in her breakout 2024 when she reached two slam finals, she’s still had a very solid season. She gets to 30 on Vondrousova’s serve but can go no further, so we’re into a tie-break.
Vondrousova holds for 5-5. Paolini nudges ahead to 6-5. And speaking of Paolini, this is well worth a look (and read):
Paolini is pushing at 5-4 and deuce on Vondrousova’s serve. A 21-shot rally ends in Vondrousova’s favour. Phew. Meanwhile Pegula is already in charge against Azarenka, leading 4-1.
Shelton has had a strong summer, following up his quarter-final run at Wimbledon by winning his first Masters 1000 title, in Toronto, and he’s serving for the first set at 5-3. At a career-high world ranking of No 6, the 22-year-old could be a real contender this fortnight, at a tournament where he’s already reached the last four, and he’s got his game face on as he serves out the set to 15. An ominous stat for Mannarino: the 37-year-old is 0-22 against top-10 players at majors.
It’s all-change on the show courts. Just starting under the roof on Arthur Ashe it’s Jessica Pegula, last year’s runner-up, against the three-times finalist Victoria Azarenka. On Louis Armstrong, Pegula’s fellow American Ben Shelton leads 4-2 in the battle of the young lefty vs the veteran French lefty Adrian Mannarino, while on Grandstand it’s Jasmine Paolini against the former Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova. It’s 3-3 in the opening set. I wish I had six eyes but two will have to do.
Rinderknech is on his knees as he completes a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 victory over his good friend. It’s a landmark win for the 30-year-old, who’s through to the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time. His prize/punishment is a last-16 meeting with Alcaraz.
It’s raining on one side of Flushing Meadows but not the other. Rinderknech is now a game away, leading 5-2, with Bonzi serving at 30-all. And Britain’s Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter have just booked their place in the second round of the women’s doubles.
Raducanu’s been speaking to Sky’s Laura Robson after being outclassed by Rybakina:
It was very difficult. I didn’t get a chance to settle or feel any rhythm. But overall I think I’m heading in the right direction. It’s been a good swing in America. After Wimbledon I was straight into practice and I had some good results but against the top players I’ve got a lot of work to do. I look forward to heading out to Asia.
Dark clouds are hanging over Court 17 as Rinderknech moves to within two games of victory against Bonzi. And it’s got nothing to do with being the US Open’s “hash court”, but rather the ominous weather. He’ll hope he can complete the win over his fellow Frenchman before the possible showers come.
About 14,529 fans descend on Alcaraz for an autograph. Meanwhile news of another winner: Jiri Lehecka, the 20th seed, has ended the run of Belgium’s Raphael Collignon, who conquered Casper Ruud in the previous round on his US Open debut. Collignon said that was the best day of his life – but today came nowhere near to hitting those heights, as he lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Alcaraz speaks:
I’m not used to playing early, so my goal was to start focused. I think I did pretty well, and after that I kept it going. Great performance, so I’m proud about it. I’m not an early person so for me it’s difficult, but I played good. I felt something in my knee [when he called for the physio], but after five, six points it was gone.
Alcaraz defeats Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0
Darderi is serving to stay in the match. 0-15. 0-30. 0-40, as Alcaraz comes up with a return to take the breath away. Darderi takes the next point for 15-40, but almost seemed halfway to the net to shake Alcaraz’s hand. He knows his time is nearly up. So he’s going for broke. It’s an approach that gets him to deuce, but Alcaraz creates a fourth match point, and this time Darderi hits long! Alcaraz whizzes into round four for the loss of only six games. He again opts for his golf swing celebration.
