An American will compete in the US Open men’s singles final for the first time since 2006 this year, after Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz both won their quarter-finals to set-up a last-four clash in New York.
Semi-final number two will be decided throughout the course of the next 24 hours, as Brit Jack Draper takes to the court for his quarter-final tie against Alex de Minaur.
In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka made it to back-to-back US Open semi-finals, but a familiar problem looks set to plague the Belarussian ace.
Whereas Emma Navarro capped off a stellar day for the home crowd favourites, with the American progressing into her first-ever Grand Slam semi-final.
Draper and Henman share amusing moment
Jack Draper and Tim Henman shared an amusing moment after the 22-year-old had defeated Alex de Minaur in the US Open quarter-finals.
Understandably, spirits were high on the back of Draper making it to his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final, with the tennis ace sharing a joke with Henman and the rest of the Sky Sports panel.
Presenter Gigi Salmon quizzed Draper, who is in line to receive £760,000 in prize money, on whether he knew Henman’s birthday was the same day of his US Open semi-final, to which he replied: “Is it your birthday? The big 60? Wow! I tell you what, if I look like you when I’m 60, I’ll be very happy!”
Henman, who actually turns 50 on Friday, replied: “I think you’ve got a million reasons to buy me a nice present haven’t you Jack?”
The light-hearted interaction continued as Draper commented: “I will be getting you a nice present of some sort.” And Henman added: “You’ve said it now on live TV.”
Andy Roddick reveals X-rated hope
Andy Roddick has admitted that he gets nervous when thinking about the possibility of an American player winning the US Open.
At least one will be in Sunday’s men’s singles final, with Taylor Fritz facing Frances Tiafoe in the last four.
Speaking on the Served podcast, Roddick said: “An American in the final, I want it all to end.
“I would love nothing more than for an American to win on Sunday. I get, I hate it, I get this anxious feeling every time they have to answer for it. I f***ing hate it for them.
“I want them to have it, I want them to clear. And frankly speaking, if one of them breaks this thing, they could start contending regularly.”
4 hours ago13:11 Archie Griggs
Ostapenko invites rap star to final
Jelena Ostapenko has sent an open invite to Lil Wayne after reaching the US Open women’s doubles final.
She will team up with Lyudmyla Kichenok to face Zhang Shuai and Kristina Mladenovic.
If things work out for Ostapenko, her rapper friend could be in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“He actually didn’t come for my singles [match],” she said.
“There is still the final in doubles, so maybe he’ll come, we’ll see. But I think the most important thing is to just enjoy it.”
5 hours ago12:13 Archie Griggs
Gilbert reflects on Gauff exit
Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert has insisted ‘things will get better’ for the American after she was knocked out of the US Open.
The 20-year-old was a long way off her best during her defeat to Emma Navarro on Sunday.
Reflecting on her exit, Gilbert said: “Sometimes they catch you with your head down a little bit, didn’t go as well here as we would like.
“But, the sun comes up the next day and then you got to be positive, and hopefully things will get better.”
Coco Gauff was dumped out of the US Open by Emma Navarro (Image: GETTY)
6 hours ago11:18 Archie Griggs
De Minaur heaps praise on Draper
Alex de Minaur was full of praise for Jack Draper after losing to the Brit in the quarter-finals of the US Open.
He said: “I think Jack has continuously improved every time we’ve played. Every year he’s gotten better.
“He has the right work ethic. He’s a great guy, great competitor, and he’s doing the right things. He’s got weapons, he knows how to use those weapons effectively.
“And look, he’s yet to lose a set in this tournament, so he’s got to be doing something right.”
7 hours ago10:16 Archie Griggs
Draper issues emphatic declaration
Jack Draper has insisted that he knew his ‘time would come’ after reaching the semi-finals of the US Open.
“This is not kind of like an overnight thing for me,” he said.
“I’ve believed for a long time that I’ve been putting in the work and doing the right things, and I knew that my time would come.
“I didn’t know when it would be, but hopefully from here I can do a lot of amazing things. I’m very proud of myself.
“I don’t feel kind of overawed by the situations I’ve been in. It’s not getting to me in any sort of way. In my quarter-final, honestly, there weren’t any nerves.”
8 hours ago09:19 Archie Griggs
Swiatek breaks down in tears
Iga Swiatek struggled to hide her disappointment following her defeat to Jessica Pegula.
After the match, she was spotted wiping away tears and taking deep breaths.
Swiatek was among the favourites to win the US Open but will instead be left to mull over what went wrong.
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8 hours ago08:57 Archie Griggs
Djokovic gets brutal reality check
Martina Navratilova has suggested that Novak Djokovic’s age is catching up with him after his early US Open exit.
She said: “Father Time will catch up to him and maybe it already is a little bit, because he really wasn’t himself in that last match.
“It depends how much the fire is still burning. If it’s still burning, I’m never going to say ‘you shouldn’t play’, because he’s never going to tarnish his legacy, it’s ridiculously good.
“I’m sure his wife is saying: ‘It’s time to hang it up, how many more of these do you need?’.
“Maybe just one more but, then again, if he wins the Australian Open, he’s going to want to play Roland Garros and Wimbledon, right? He’s not going to quit then.
It’s up to him. Either way, you can’t criticise because what a fantastic career. I would probably hang it up but if he loves it, why not?”
9 hours ago08:02 Archie Griggs
Swiatek reacts to Pegula defeat
Iga Swiatek has insisted that she is not too worried about results after crashing out of the US Open.
The Pole was beaten by Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals, with the latter securing a 6-2 6-4 win in less than 90 minutes.
Speaking after the match, Swiatek said: “Everybody is always speaking about results straight away when you go to a tournament.
“They want to know what my goal is. I don’t know, winning the final, the semi-final, and it’s just not it, you know, these are not my goals when I go in a tournament.
“That’s my answer, kind of, because I want to explain that I don’t expect from myself the results.
“I’m more expecting that I’m going to work and I’m going to go through some problems and work on them, and that’s it.”
10 hours ago07:11 Archie Griggs
Draper opens up on Sinner friendship
Jack Draper has offered an insight into his friendship with Jannik Sinner ahead of their semi-final showdown.
The two players shared a doubles court earlier this year but will soon be going up against each other for a place in the US Open final.
“We’ve always kept in touch since I’ve been on tour the last couple of years,” said Draper after beating Alex de Minaur in straight sets.
“Jannik is a good friend, someone I’m definitely close to. You know, we send each other messages in good moments, bad moments. It’s a tough sport to play when you’re a young guy.
“You’re on the road, you’re playing such a relentlessly intense sport, both physically and emotionally.
It’s difficult, we haven’t got many friends, so to sort of have the support of someone who’s going through it themselves is really big.”
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10 hours ago07:06 Archie Griggs
Djokovic at risk of missing ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic’s hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals have taken a hammer blow as a result of Taylor Fritz’s victory over Alexander Zverev.
The result saw Fritz move up to seventh in this year’s ATP Race, which calculates the ranking points from the calendar year.
It also bumped Djokovic outside the top eight, meaning he will not be involved at the ATP Finals unless he can pick up more ranking points.
The top eight players in the ATP Race rankings qualify for the ATP Finals, which will take place in November.
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Zverev are certain to qualify with Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev also ahead of Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic is facing a battle to qualify for the ATP Finals (Image: GETTY)
12 hours ago05:07 Tom Blow
Sinner reaches last four
Jannik Sinner will play Jack Draper in the semi-finals at the US Open after beating Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
13 hours ago03:58 Tom Blow
Another twist!
Jannik Sinner has hit back in the best possible fashion by beating Daniil Medvedev 6-1 in the third set.
The world No.1 now has a 2-1 advantage…
14 hours ago03:30 Tom Blow
Medvedev hits back
Daniil Medvedev has thumped Jannik Sinner 6-1 in the second set of their match. It’s all even heading into the third…
15 hours ago02:32 Tom Blow
Sinner takes control
Jannik Sinner has made a bright start to his quarter-final with Daniil Medvedev, going a break up in the first set.
Sinner, currently serving, leads 3-2.
15 hours ago01:46 Tom Blow
Pegula wins!
WOW!
Jessica Pegula has beaten Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-4.
Another American reaches the semi-finals!
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16 hours ago00:55 Tom Blow
Pegula in control
Jessica Pegula has taken the first set 6-2 against Iga Swiatek!
18 hours ago23:24 Tom Blow
Tonight’s games!
It’s primetime at the US Open!
First up is home favourite Jessica Pegula against championship favourite Iga Swiatek.
And then it’s time for the men’s singles, with Jannik Sinner taking on Daniil Medvedev!
The winner of the latter tie will face Jack Draper in the semi-finals…
Stay tuned to find out what happens tonight!
19 hours ago22:16 Yasmin Syed
Muchova speaks out after ‘toilet’ trips in quarter-final
Karolina Muchova has spoken out on her physical issues after visiting the toilet multiple times during her quarter-final win.
The Czech star refused to divulge the details of her problem during her on-court interview but apologised for taking frequent trips to the bathroom.
But she opened up during her post-match press conference and explained that she was carrying a bug.
“Yeah, I’m fighting bug a little bit. I’m a little sick. I hope it didn’t disturb anyone. It never happened to me before, but I really needed to go off the court when I get a chance to go. Again, I hope it didn’t disturb her, didn’t disturb the people,” Muchova said.
“But I actually don’t do these things, I don’t like to do it, but I had no other choice than to take, yeah, use a bathroom. That’s it.”
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19 hours ago21:43 Yasmin Syed
Sabalenka loses thousands making practice bets with coaches
Aryna Sabalenka has revealed that she and her coaches make big-money bets on her practice sets and matches.
The world No. 2 even lost £3,8000 ($5,000) after a recent practice.
After reaching the quarter-final, she said: “Well, my coach put the money on the table when we play set or match with my hitting partner. Usually it’s quite decent amount of money. The money from your coach is the sweetest money, you know
“One time I lost 5,000 [dollars], yeah, and another time – last time actually I won it. To see how pissed my hitting partner was, it was amazing feeling.”
20 hours ago21:15 Yasmin Syed
Jack Draper is through to the semi-final!
Jack Draper has done it. The British No. 1 takes out 10th seed Alex De Minaur 6-3 7-5 6-2 to reach the US Open semi-final.
He still hasn’t dropped a set.
And he’s the first British man to reach the semis here since Andy Murray’s run to the title in 2012.
Jack Draper is through to his first Grand Slam semi-final (Image: Getty)
20 hours ago21:04 Yasmin Syed
Haddad Maia gives update after calling physio mid-match
Beatriz Haddad Maia caused a scare during her quarter-final loss to Karolina Muchova.
As the 22nd seed served to stay in the match at 3-5 in the second set, she left the baseline and walked up to the umpire, calling the physio and doctor to the court.
Haddad Maia looked distressed as she buried her face in her towel. But she got up and continued playing without any medical intervention.
Asked if she was okay physically and whether she had any trouble with her chest, the Brazilian later said: “Yes, I was, but I’m feeling okay. Thanks for asking.”
Beatriz Haddad Maia called the doctor and physio (Image: Getty)
20 hours ago20:48 Yasmin Syed
Draper emulates Raducanu
Jack Draper is set away from the US Open semi-final! The Brit has taken a 6-3 7-5 over 10th seed Alex De Minaur.
Draper has yet to drop a set this fortnight – he’s won 14 in a row.
The last player to do that in the singles main draw? Emma Raducanu when she won the title in 2021.
20 hours ago20:42 Yasmin Syed
Draper sparks injury fears after calling physio
Jack Draper called the physio to the court after taking a set and break lead over Alex De Minaur in their quarter-final.
The Australian had been visibly wincing and even grabbed his hip in pain right before the trainer came down but commentators were surprised when the call was actually for Draper.
The 22-year-old stretched his hamstring out after winning the first set. He had his hamstring taped up and continued playing.
Laura Robson, who was sitting courtside, said: “The biggest sign is he didn’t go for the evaluation, he went straight to the tape.
“He just wants a bit of support on the back of that leg and this is a very standard hamstring tape that I’m seeing in front of me so yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s too bad.”
22 hours ago19:24 Yasmin Syed
Muchova apologises for toilet troubles
Karolina Muchova was asked about her physical problems after repeatedly running off court during her quarter-final and calling the physio twice.
The world No. 52 said she didn’t want to divulge the details but apologised to the crowd for her toilet breaks.
“Little weird match I have to say. I had a little problems I wouldn’t like to comment on it actually if it’s fine. But I’m happy manage it with some run to the bathroom and back,” she explained.
“Sorry if it disturbed anyone but I had no other choice!”
Karolina Muchova apologised for her toilet trips (Image: Sky Sports)
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22 hours ago19:10 Yasmin Syed
Muchova and Haddad Maia both call physio mid-match
There was chaos during the quarter-final between Karolina Muchova and Beatriz Haddad Maia as both women called the physio and the doctor to court.
After taking the first set, Muchova started running off court to use the toilet during changeovers. And she called the physio once she got a break in the second set, briefly leaving the court.
The physio and the doctor were back on a few moments later and the Czech star appeared to take some medication.
Then, with Haddad Maia serving to stay in the match, she rushed to the umpire’s chair and asked for the trainer to come to court.
The Brazilian eventually continued playing and won one last game before Muchova came through 6-1 6-4.
Karolina Muchova and Beatriz Haddad Maia both saw the physio (Image: Sky Sports)
23 hours ago18:04 Yasmin Syed
Star who pulled out of US Open announces tennis break
Emil Ruusuvuori pulled out of the US Open on the eve of the tournament. He had been set to face No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev.
After a season of highs and lows, he has now announced that he will be taking a break from tennis for the rest of the year.
“As you know, the past year has been challenging: I have achieved things I have dreamed of since I was a child, but the balance between work and recovery has not been right. Due to overloading, I have decided to take a break from tennis for the rest of the year and focus on my physical and mental health,” the 25-year-old wrote on social media.
“Because of this, I will not be in the playing lineup for the Davis Cup. However, I will still support the team and be with them, as the DC team is extremely important to me. Have a great rest of the summer, everyone.”
24 hours ago17:17 Yasmin Syed
Murray swaps tennis for golf while missing US Open
The US Open marks the first Grand Slam tournament since Andy Murray’s retirement.
It will likely be a strange time for the 2012 champion, who is used to preparing for the sport’s biggest tournaments. But since retiring at the Olympics last month, he has swapped tennis for golf.
Murray previously shared his wish to become a scratch golfer in retirement. And he had his first golf lesson on Wednesday in his quest to get there.
The former No. 1 shared a video of his swing to his Instagram story to get some advice.
De Minaur raises alarm bells before Draper clash
British No. 1 Jack Draper will contest his first Grand Slam quarter-final today. He takes on 10th seed Alex De Minaur.
But De Minaur raised concerns ahead of their match as he hit for only 15 minutes and barely put any effort in.
“I felt like De Minaur looked as if he didn’t really want to move his feet, was either trying to converse energy or he was just feeling very lethargic out there,” Annabel Croft said on Sky Sports.
“He hardly did any groundstrokes from the back of the court, walked up to the net, did a few volleys, did about five minutes of each. I’ve not really seen players go up to a serve after 10 minutes of a warm-up for such a big match. And then he did quite a few, well I say, the serves didn’t register on the clock so they were very lethargic serves.”
De Minaur gave a thumbs up and cut things short just 15 minutes in. Croft added: “After he picked up his water bottle, he sort of sloped off court looking the most dejected and de-energised player who is about to play a massive match against Jack Draper. So read into that what you like, but it wasn’t a great practice.”
yesterday16:15 Yasmin Syed
Tiafoe thought Fritz was ‘odd’ in first meeting
Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will face off in an all-American semi-final on Friday.
The two 26-year-olds are great friends and go way back. But Tiafoe admitted his first impressions of Fritz were very different.
“When I first met him, Taylor was, I mean, he was an odd cat, different cat. I mean, I definitely wasn’t thinking he was going to do what he’s done,” Tiafoe said after reaching his second US Open semi-final.
“He’s changed his body unbelievable. You know, like, he’s just really talented. He was a part-time player, he played couple times of week, had a court at his house. He’ll tell you, he went to normal high school. He was just a normal kid. While we’re out there grinding. Then he started putting more time into it.”
yesterday15:34 Yasmin Syed
Big Three fall-off ‘helping’ Fritz and co
Taylor Fritz’s coach confessed that the end of the Big Three era has helped the younger generation step it up at Grand Slams.
Roger Federer retired in 2022 while Rafael Nadal has barely played over the last couple of years. Novak Djokovic has been flying the flat for the Big Three of late but he crashed out in the third round and this is the first season since 2017 in which he hasn’t won a Grand Slam title.
After Fritz advanced to his first Major semi-final, Mike Russell admitted: “No, it helps a lot, because those three, the Big Three, they dominated the sport for decades. So now, you know, they’re stepping away. All of a sudden there’s new blood in the mix. All of a sudden you have new champions.
“All the guys see that, hey, it could be my turn now. Not to say they can’t beat those guys, but they really did dominate to the point where they were never losing matches. Now you’ve got new winners, new guys coming up, and all these guys, including Taylor, they think they can win Grand Slams.”
yesterday15:09 Amos Murphy
US Open Day 10 schedule
There’s another action-packed day of quarter-final action to look forward to in New York today.
Men:
Jack Draper (United Kingdom) vs Alex de Minaur (Australia) – 6:15pm
Jannik Sinner (Italy) vs Daniil Medvedev (Russia) – 1:15am
Women:
Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) vs Karolina Muchova (Czechia) – 5:00pm
Iga Swiatek (Poland) vs Jessica Pegula (USA) – 0:00am
Jack Draper aiming to follow in Andy Murray’s footsteps
Jack Draper is bidding to become the first British Grand Slam winner of a men’s singles event since Andy Murray.
The Brit will take to the court for his US Open quarter-final clash against Alex de Minaur later today.
Speaking ahead of the match, Draper told the BBC: “To follow in Andy’s footsteps, it’s a big achievement for me.
“I know that there’s still room for improvement and still room to hopefully go further.”
Federer weighs in on Sinner doping debate ahead of quarter-final
Tennis legend Roger Federer has weighed in on the debate surrounding star Jannik Sinner.
Sinner was cleared to play in the US Open last month, despite testing positive for a banned substance.
Speaking on Today, Federer shared his opinion on the matter: “I understand the frustration of ‘has he been treated the same as others?’, and I think this is where it comes down to. And it lives with you. Every morning when you wake up, you think ‘is somebody at the door coming to test me?’, so, it’s really difficult.
“I understand it’s a tricky situation. It’s the nightmare of every athlete and team to have these allegations and these problems, because we fill out these forms all day, every day.”
In a statement, the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) said Sinner had’ no fault or negligence’ in the positive test and had therefore avoided a ban.
Badosa to blame getting ’emotionally overwhelmed’ on US Open exit
Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli believes Paula Badosa got too ’emotionally overwhelmed’ during her US Open quarter-final defeat against Emma Navarro.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Badosa will learn from this. She obviously has never reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, and I think it’s more emotional than tennis wise because she has the tennis, the weapons, the fitness levels.
“She has the game but emotionally she gets overwhelmed. And she did today in a situation where she was in control.”
Paula Badosa lost in straight sets to Emma Navarro. (Image: Getty)
yesterday11:12 Amos Murphy
Coco Gauff in need of ‘reset’ after US Open exit – Andy Roddick
Coco Gauff is in need of a ‘reset’ following her US Open exit earlier this month.
Speaking after the reigning champion was dumped out, Roddick said: “I didn’t choose her to go far just based on recent form. I liked when she acknowledged the serving problems in a press conference. I feel like this has been such a whirlwind for her.
“There is no doubt that second serve is in her head. No doubt if Corey and Coco were sitting here right now they would probably tell you the same thing…
“When you go out there and the rumble and the mumbles, when you hit 10 or 11 double faults in one set, those become a lot louder when there’s 25,000 people doing it.
“You kind of feel that weight a little bit more. She always gives all of the mental effort and she’s fighting some demons right now. But she needs to get past this tournament in the defence of it to really kind of reset and rebuild.”
yesterday09:50 Amos Murphy
Fritz’s girlfriend reignites Zverev controversy
Taylor Fritz’s girlfriend Morgan Riddle once again took to social media after the American tennis star beat familiar foe Alexander Zverev.
Riddle had posted a cryptic message after Fritz beat Zverev during this year’s Wimbledon.
The influencer posted a since-deleted video to her social media feed which read: “When your man wins 4 the girls.”
Zverev had reached an out-of-court settlement with his former girlfriend following a domestic abuse allegation – something he denies.
This time though, Riddle kept it more understated, posting: “Semi finalssss,” accompanied by three painting nails emojis.
Sabalenka makes expensive promise after winning US Open quarter-final
Aryna Sabalenka has urged to ‘get the drinks in’ ahead of her US Open semi-final against Emma Navarro this week.
Sabalenka experienced a partisan crowd last year when she faced Coco Gauff.
When quizzed on the prospect of facing another US-based star, Sabalenka said: “Drinks on me tonight?”
Aryna Sabalenka admits to Roger Federer ‘pressure’ following US Open win
Aryna Sabalenka admits being watched by Roger Federer during her US Open quarter-final win amped up the pressure.
Sabalenka defeated reigning Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng to advance, but having spotted Federer in the crowd, the Belarussian said: “I saw him there, saw him on the big screen. I’m pretty sure he came to watch Tiafoe and Dimitrov, but still, I was like, okay, ‘I have to play my best tennis so he enjoys it. I have to show my skills’.
“You know, slice skills, come to the net and all that stuff. Yeah, that was a nice moment. Nice to see him around.”
yesterday07:55 Amos Murphy
Jack Draper hit with ban by coach in bid to reach US Open last four
US Open star Jack Draper revealed his coach has banned him from drinking too much caffeine as it ‘sends him over’.
Draper is preparing for the biggest game of his life, with a spot in the US Open semi-finals up for grabs.
Speaking during the tournament, Draper said: “My coach doesn’t want me taking too much caffeine.
“It sends me too far over. For now, it is de-caf cappuccino.”
Jack Draper in action at the US Open. (Image: Getty)
yesterday07:30 Amos Murphy
Good morning and welcome to Day 10!
The US Open draws are really beginning to heat up, as the semi-final line-ups begin to take shape.
By tomorrow morning we should know who’s facing who in the US Open semi-finals, with Jack Draper hoping to add a twist on an increasingly American-dominated field.
