There are probably quite a few adjectives you could use to describe the first week of the 2024 US Open. “Predictable” wouldn’t be one of them. Let’s be honest, there haven’t been this many ups and downs on these grounds since they dismantled the Ferris wheel from the 1965 World’s Fair. Through Week One, we’ve seen heart-stopping performances and head-scratching upsets. We’ve witnessed inspiring entrances and inexplicable exits. At times, the great have looked ordinary and the ordinary, great. More seeds have been blown away here than in the Grapes of Wrath.
So as Day 7 brings Week One to a close, the day’s lineup features a fascinating mix of familiar faces and those less-so; some who are very familiar with this stage of a major, others who've never before been this far on a major stage. Frances Tiafoe, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Casper Ruud, Qinwen Zheng, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev and Emma Navarro all see fourth-round action today. After a wacky Week One, it’s anyone’s guess as to what Week Two has in store. One thing’s for sure—every one of these players wants to stick around to find out.
Tiafoe, the men’s No. 20 seed, has been as far as the semis here in Flushing. That was in 2022, when the American took out second-seeded Rafael Nadal in the fourth round as part of his advance—a win that still resonates as one of his best. But his Herculean effort on Friday in taking out compatriot Ben Shelton should likewise find a place near the top of his resume. In five ferocious sets, Tiafoe rallied from two-sets-to-one down to claim the win. The 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 victory showcased the very best of the 26-year-old American, as he amped up his trademark toughness and tenacity and simply refused to lose. Tiafoe is into the fourth round here now for the fifth consecutive year, and with the field as wide open as it is now, he stands a very real chance to gain his first career second-Sunday showing at a Slam.
Next up for the American is giant-killer, Alexei Popyrin who sent shock waves through the hard floors of Flushing with his stunning late-night upset of defending US Open champ Novak Djokovic on Friday. In notching his best career win, the 25-year-old Aussie likewise gained his best career showing at a Slam; he’d never before been past the third round at any of the Big Four. It’s not like Popyrin came completely out of the blue; just a couple of weeks ago he captured his third career singles crown at the hard-court Montreal event, defeating Rublev in the final after notching wins over Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, and Sebastian Korda along the way. He’d also reached the semis of the hard-court Doha event in February. But he was particularly splendid in dismissing the second-seeded Djokovic, winning 74 % of his first-serve points, winning 15 of 19 service games, and breaking Djokovic five times.
These two men have never met, and this first encounter figures to be a good one. If Popyrin can continue to play the sort of relentless tennis he exhibited against the game’s best, then he has a shot. But, of course, in Tiafoe, he’s got an opponent who can take relentless to a whole other level. In a furious four, Tiafoe is on to the quarters.
Women’s second seed Sabalenka has made something of a quiet advance to this point, remaining just this side of the spotlight amidst impressively precise progress. She’s into the fourth round here for the fourth consecutive year. The 26-year-old is a two-time major champion, winning back-to-back Aussie Open titles in 2023 and again this year, and was runner-up here last year to Gauff, losing a tough three-set final to the American. Twice more—in 2021 and 2022—Sabalenka has played her way into the semis here. She has reached at least the quarters in nine of the last 11 Slams she's played, and came to New York this year on the heels of an impressive win at the hard-court Cincinnati event, knocking out Iga Swiatek in the semis and Jessica Pegula in the final to claim her 15th career singles crown.
Tonight, Sabalenka takes on Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who’s into Flushing’s fourth round for the fifth time in her career. Twice a quarterfinalist here—in 2019 and 2020—the 28-year-old Mertens’ best-ever Slam showing was a run to the semis of the 2018 Australian Open. This year, the Belgian has reached one tournament final, knocking out Swiatek en route to the final of Hobart in January. In August, she scored a win over two-time US Open champ Naomi Osaka in the second round of Toronto. Once ranked as high as No. 12, Mertens now sits at No. 35 but is always a threat on hard courts. Indeed, six of her eight career singles crowns have been won on cement.
The two women are familiar foes, with Sabalenka holding a 7-2 edge in their previous nine encounters, including a win over the Belgian in the fourth round here in 2021. While Mertens has had an impressive advance, it’s hard to fathom that she’s got enough game to take down the second seed, who’s playing with the sort of focus that suggests she’s got her sights set squarely on a title. In a tight two, Sabalenka advances.
