Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka They took another firm step in the US Open and they reached the round of 16 of the last Grand Slam of the season. The two champions advanced with authority in a day that was also marked by the long-awaited return of Serena and Venus Williams to doubles.
Alcaraz beat Chinese Wu Yibing, world number 113, 6-3, 6-4 and 6-1 in two hours and 20 minutes. The Spaniard once again showed solid tennis and confirmed that his level is growing game by game after arriving in New York after 139 days of inactivity due to a wrist injury.
The world number three acknowledged that his recovery is being better than he expected. After his first matches, Alcaraz said he felt physically good and increasingly prepared to face the challenge of defending the title won in New York.
Alcaraz confirms his candidacy for the US Open title
In the round of 16, the Spaniard will face the American Tommy Paul, number 21 in the ATP ranking. It will be a more demanding test to measure how far Alcaraz’s competitive level reaches after his long period without playing.
The Murcian has already left good feelings in his three matches played in the tournament and presents a level higher than that shown by several of the main contenders to take the title from him, including the German Alexander Zverev.
Daniil Medvedev and Tomás Etcheverry also advanced in the men’s draw. The Russian, champion of the US Open in 2021, defeated the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech without giving up a set, while the Argentine eliminated his compatriot Mariano Navone.
Etcheverry will now face American Alex Michelsen for a place in the quarterfinals. For his part, Stefanos Tsitsipas starred in one of the positive notes of the day by reaching the fourth round of the US Open for the first time, his best result in a Grand Slam in the last two years.
Sabalenka advances and leaves a curious protest
In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka also ensured her presence in the round of 16. The world number one defeated the Uzbek Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 and did not concede a break point during the match.
Her next rival will be the American Taylor Townsend, who defeated Diana Shnaider. The Russian had been precisely one of the players who managed to beat Sabalenka during the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
Sabalenka also starred in one of the most talked about scenes of the day. During her match, the Belarusian detected a strong smell of marijuana coming from the vicinity of the Louis Armstrong court and asked the chair umpire to do something about it.
The situation is not completely new in Flushing Meadows. In recent years, several tennis players have commented on the occasional presence of this smell on the tournament courts, something that occurs despite the fact that recreational marijuana use has been legal in New York since 2021.
Serena and Venus Williams touch a historic night
The main protagonist of the night session was the couple formed by Serena and Venus Williams. The American sisters returned to play together for the first time since 2022 and came very close to a victory in their return to doubles.
The winners of 14 Grand Slam titles in this modality came to dominate the super tie-break of the third set 5-0 against the Chinese Chan Hao-Ching and the Australian Maya Joint. However, several errors allowed their rivals to come back and end up taking the game.
Chan and Joint won 6-3, 6-7 (6/8) and 7-6 (10/7) after three hours and two minutes. Despite the defeat, Serena and Venus received the support of more than 20,000 fans, who turned the match into one of the most emotional moments of the day.
For Serena, champion of 23 Grand Slam singles and considered one of the best tennis players in history, the match also marked her return to the US Open since her farewell to the courts in 2022.
Four years after that goodbye, the American returned to the competition this season and returned to compete at Wimbledon before reuniting with the New York public with her sister.
