Alcaraz, Sabalenka ease into US Open third round; American players shine

Published On 3 Sep 20263 Sep 2026.

Key points

• As he delivered a stunning win over 12th seed Rafael Jodar, there was no stopping lucky loser Bu Yunchaokete from reaching the second round, nevertheless.
• I'm not going to lie, Alcaraz remarked after spending two hours and 40 minutes on court.
• This person last won a match at the tournament in 1958.
• "Just because I posted, like, some activities with brands, and you think that I've been partying, not training?"
• To be out of there in under an hour, it doesn't always happen.

While fellow defending champion Aryna Sabalenka additionally advanced to the third round of the US Open, as organisers heaved a sigh of relief after clearing a backlog of rain-delayed matches, carlos Alcaraz took another solid step in his comeback from injury.

Former winner Daniil Medvedev weathered an avian interruption to soar into the next round, with Americans Ben Shelton, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, and Frances Tiafoe all progressing on Wednesday.

Alcaraz took centre stage in the evening session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the Spanish second seed dropped the opening set before blowing away Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 with superb shot-making to ease any lingering fears regarding his wrist injury.

"I wanted to be quick. I'm not going to lie, " Alcaraz remarked after spending two hours and 40 minutes on court.

"But at the end, I realised that I'm just playing four sets. After four sets.", it was really good for me to test everything physically, to test my body, how I feel, and tomorrow how I'm going to feel after this match.

As the Belarusian crushed Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1, before bristling at a question regarding her appearances at pretournament events, sabalenka was even more impressive a short while earlier on the main showcourt.

"You guys are, like, a joke. Parties, fun. Like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think regarding that? What kind of question is that?" the world number one remarked.

Medvedev, the 2021 champion, had his feathers ruffled in a 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 victory over US wildcard Sebastian Gorzny on Louis Armstrong Stadium when two birds landed on the net.

Earlier, third-ranked Pegula needed just 56 minutes to dismantle 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 in the first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium to book a match-up with 2021 runner-up Leylah Fernandez.

"To be out of there in under an hour, it doesn't always happen. So I think I'm just going to take that one and run, " remarked Pegula, the runner-up in 2024.

As he relied on the energy of the home crowd to power through, eighth seed Shelton had a more tough time, beating Poland's Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5.

In practice, the Montreal winner has emerged as one of the best hopes of ending a 23-year US men's major drought in a diminished field missing injured world number one Jannik Sinner.

Navarro took down fellow American Caty McNally 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, and Tiafoe beat Rei Sakamoto 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-5, but it was not all good news for the home hopes as 2017 champion Sloane Stephens suffered a 6-1, 7-5 defeat by 11th seed Marta Kostyuk.

While runner-up Karolina Muchova outclassed Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0, wimbledon champion Linda Noskova eased to a 6-4, 6-2 win over Thailand's Lanlana Tararudee in her bid for a second consecutive Grand Slam title.

With a backlog of 14 matches to complete after Tuesday's weather-hit action, organisers looked to the heavens in the afternoon as more rain fell over Flushing Meadows to bring a brief halt to play.

While Australian sixth seed Alex de Minaur eased through his opening match against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, alex Michelsen delivered another jolt to a fancied player as he upset fellow American and 16th seed Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.

Peruvian Ignacio Buse continued a new chapter to his family's US Open story as he won a five-setter to earn a maiden victory and follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Eduardo. This person last won a match at the tournament in 1958.

For now, alcaraz, Sabalenka ease into US Open third round; American players shine remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.