With no fans inside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, everyone on the grounds must have a credential. On Day 6, the stars who played in Arthur Ashe Stadium could be forgiven for not wearing one—their on-court creds alone are enough.
Three former US Open champions and two former finalists graced the main stage on Saturday, while No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem came a step closer to a fourth career Grand Slam singles final with a win under Ashe's evening lights.
Here's our look at a super Saturday in New York.
Serena beats 2017 champ Stephens: Serena Williams dropped her first set of the tournament as she fell behind against the steady baseline ball of Sloane Stephens. But the 38-year-old locked in for set two, cleaning up her groundies and asserting herself as the match went on. In front of a socially distanced “crowd” in Ashe—which featured Naomi Osaka, Dominic Thiem, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and more—Williams won 10 of the last 12 games to run away with this match, her first meeting with Stephens since 2015.
Addressing her daughter Olympia in the stands after the match, Williams said, “I hope that she saw her momma fighting.”
Momma, I made it: Joining supermom Serena in the Round of 16 are mothers Victoria Azarenka and Tsvetana Pironkova. Azarenka took out Iga Swiatek in a match that featured a 20-point game and two five-deuce games, including the match-clincher. Pironkova, playing in her first WTA tournament since Wimbledon in 2017 (and her first as a mom), soundly beat Donna Vekic on Court 5. After toiling on the field courts in the first three rounds, she will step into the stadium spotlight for her Round-of-16 match against Alize Cornet, who advanced when Madison Keys retired in Ashe.
Moscow mules: Three men from Moscow took the court Saturday, and two took home victories. Daniil Medvedev slayed former Ohio State Buckeye J.J. Wolf to improve his set record on the tournament to a perfect 9-0. Andrey Rublev also advanced, grabbing two bagels in a rout of Salvatore Caruso, while Karen Khachanov could not make it a triple shot of Russian vodka in the fourth round. After he picked up a 6-0 set of his own in taking a two-sets-to-one lead, he dropped a back-and-forth five-setter against No. 21 seed Alex de Minaur.
Perfect passage: Novak Djokovic may be a perfect 26-0 in 2020, but Medvedev, Rublev and Italian Matteo Berrettini (blowing past Casper Ruud) are the only three men yet to drop a set this fortnight. Dominic Thiem nearly joined that list, but he dropped the third set to Marin Cilic in the Ashe nightcap before advancing in four. With Cilic's ouster, Djokovic is the only Grand Slam singles champ left in the men's draw.
Seven women are a perfect six-for-six in sets played: Jennifer Brady, Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova, Elise Mertens, Pironkova, Azarenka and Kenin.
Oh, Canada: For the first time in the Open era, three Canadian men are through to the Round of 16. After Denis Shapovalov advanced on Friday, Felix Auger-Aliassime (who hit a show-stopping tweener in a rout of Corentin Moutet) and Vasek Pospisil (in a come-from-behind upset of No. 8 seed Roberto Baustista Agut) joined him in the fourth round.
Team USA: Sofia Kenin became the fourth American woman in the last 16 by grinding past Ons Jabeur in prime time inside Louis Armstrong Stadium. But Amanda Anisimova (beaten by Maria Sakkari, who got Greece smiling again), Madison Keys (retired with a neck issue in the second set vs. Alize Cornet) and Caty McNally (too much from 2019 quarterfinalist Elise Mertens) were eliminated on Day 6 without winning a set.
On the men’s side, Frances Tiafoe is the last American man standing after he put on "one of my best performances" to beat buddy and practice partner Marton Fucsovics. Tiafoe won the match, but the Hungarian won the award for shot of the day, with this around-the-net stunner. With no fans in Armstrong, Tiafoe did his own cheering.
“I knew that was the only shot he could hit, and he nailed it,” Tiafoe said after the match. “My reaction... I knew he was going to go for it. I couldn't believe he made it. That was special.“
WATCH: Fucsovic's hot shot, Tiafoes reaction
Sunday Reading: After Borna Coric’s epic come-from-behind victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Round 3, which saw the Croat save six match points before prevailing in five sets, USOpen.org looks back at seven players who have won US Open titles after facing match point in their championship run.
Sunday Reading, Page 2: The suites inside Arthur Ashe Stadium have been transformed into luxury lounges for seeded players, who've been using it as home base for their time on the grounds. This has also given players the rare opportunity to have the best seats in the house for marquee matches like Andy Murray’s epic five-set victory over Yoshihito Nishioka on Day 2. (Map: Player suites in Arthur Ashe Stadium)
Doubles quarterfinal are set: 2017 US Open men’s doubles champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau ousted top seeds and defending champs Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah to reach the quarterfinals. On the women’s side, defending champions Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka survived the all-American team of Jessica Pegula and Shelby Rogers to reach the final eight. (Photos: Doubles action)
Getting to Know: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain will face No. 5 seed Alex Zverev on Monday for a place in the quarterfinals. Of the 20 men who made their US Open main-draw singles debut this year, the 21-year-old—who practiced with Novak Djokovic while quarantined in Marbella, Spain—is the only one left standing.
Game, Set and Match: Watch some of the top match points from Day 5.
Tweet of the Day: Serena Williams had some special guests in her player box today, including husband Alexis Ohanian and three-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia.
Quote of the Day: “It's going to sound a little bit silly, but since I was a young kid I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. That's the way I was as a character. So she would be like, 'Just go hit and enjoy it.' It sounds enough very common, but that's the thing she has been telling me since I was 11 and up until today.”— Maria Sakkari, on the most valuable piece of advice she has received from her mother, former WTA player Angeliki Kanellopoulou.
Quotebook Archive: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
As it Happened: Relive Day 6 with our blog, Live at the Open, new for 2020.
Photo of the Day: The fountains in the South Plaza are aglow at the NTC on Day 6 of the 2020 US Open. (Photo by Brad Penner/USTA)
View more on the US Open Photo Stream, and view our gallery on ‘90s fashion returning to the courts.
