The first week of the 2020 US Open came to a close with the draws blown open. On the men's singles side, we're guaranteed to see a first-time Grand Slam champion lift the US Open trophy in a week's time. For the women, upsets have claimed all but three of the Top 10 seeds midway through the fourth round.
Here’s our look at a Day 7 in New York.
Djokovic drama: The world No. 1 was defaulted in his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta, after a ball he hit in frustration struck a line umpire. The decision, for all its drama, was a straightforward one according to the rulebook. In the aftermath, both the USTA and Djokovic (on Instagram) released statements on the incident, which was the talk of the sporting world on Sunday.
Djokovic was the last remaining Grand Slam champion in the men's field.
Osaka speeds through: The Japanese No. 4 seed was dialed in and dialing up the power in a straight-set sprint against Anett Kontaveit. She reached 120 mph on a dominant serving night, and raced through the match in 72 minutes. Kontaveit never truly got in gear, though she managed to stall her opponent with a late fight in a six-deuce, 18-point final game that ended on Osaka's sixth match point.
Americans advance: Jennifer Brady and Shelby Rogers scored a pair of upset wins to reach their first US Open quarterfinals. Brady, who reached the Round of 16 in her US Open main-draw debut in 2017, was lights-out against 2016 US Open champ Angelique Kerber. Already a post-suspension champion at the WTA event in Lexington, Ky., Brady will meet No. 23 Yulia Putinsteva in the quarterfinals, after the Kazakh took out No. 8 seed Petra Martic in three sets.
Rogers, a French Open quarterfinalist in 2016, saved four match points in the match of the day against No. 6 seed Petra Kvitova. The 27-year-old won two tiebreaks to book her spot.
Match of the Day: Rogers upsets Kvitova in third-set tiebreak
Three more Americans will look to join this pair in the quarterfinals when they they play on Monday: Serena Williams, Sofia Kenin and Frances Tiafoe.
Shapovalov sets record: Canada has been on quite a run at the US Open, dating back to 2019, when Bianca Andreescu became the nation's first Grand Slam singles champion. With an Open era record of three Canadian men into the US Open last 16 (a new record mark for any major), Shapovalov went one better with a four-set win over No. 7 seed David Goffin in Ashe. The 21-year-old was in control throughout, even for much of the opening set, which he eventually lost in a 7-0 tiebreak. But early breaks in sets two through four paved the way for him to become the first Canadian man to reach the US Open quarterfinals in the Open era.
Zverev, Coric roll: Both stress-free, straight-set winners in Armstrong on Day 7, these 23-year-olds will face off in the quarterfinals in Ashe on Tuesday. Zverev dropped just five games as he overwhelmed Alejandor Davidovich Fokina, while Coric overcame an early hiccup when serving for the first set to sail past Jordan Thompson. Coric holds a 3-1 edge in the lifetime head-to-head against Zverev, including a four-set win in the 2017 US Open second round.
Video Wrap: Highlights and soundbites from Day 7 winners.
Doubles Wrap: We have our first four semifinalists in the men’s and women’s doubles draws. Defending women's doubles champs Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens were sent packing on Sunday. On the men's side, reigning Aussie Open champs Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury improved to 9-0 in Grand Slam play in 2020. (Read: Doubles Wrap, Day 7 | Photos: Doubles action, Day 7)
Getting to Know: USOpen.org spoke to Alex de Minaur, the Australian No. 1, after his five-set third-round win over Karen Khachanov to find out more about the 21-year-old. He’ll face Vasek Pospisil on Monday for a place in the quarterfinals.
Shot of the Day: Alexander Zverev puts his court coverage on display in this point against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Game, Set and Match: Watch some of the top match points from Day 7.
Quote of the Day: “At the end of the day, we're entertainers, right? Most of us love the crowd. We love putting on a show. We love getting feedback. Especially me, I love the cheers. You hear your name, you get a little extra energy from that.” — Shelby Rogers, on playing in front of fans.
Quotebook Archive: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
As it Happened: Relive Day 7 with our blog, Live at the Open, new for 2020.
Photo of the Day: Another beautiful day on the grounds of the National Tennis Center. (Photo by Mike Lawrence/USTA)
View more on the US Open Photo Stream, and view our galleries on player masks, moms of the 2020 US Open and how the NTC has been turned into a players’ paradise.
