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They are two of the biggest stars on the WTA Tour, and on Monday, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka will do battle at the US Open.

Six years on from an emotional first career meeting at the 2019 US Open, 23rd seed Osaka and third seed Gauff will face off for the sixth time, and for the first time since Osaka retired injured in their clash at the 2024 China Open.

The clash between the two multiple-time Grand Slam champions is arguably the pick of fourth round action in New York, and has received Labor Day prime time billing, selected as the second day session match inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

There will be plenty at stake for the two former US Open champions, but what can both Osaka and Gauff earn in New York this summer?

We look at the prize money and ranking points earned by both women, and what would await the eventual winner.

Ranking points

Both women automatically earned 10 points by entering the main draw of the event, with everyone in round one awarded that amount.

However, by reaching the fourth round, Gauff and Osaka both have 240 WTA Ranking points to their name from this year’s US Open.

For Gauff, that sees her match her result from last year, having reached the fourth round in 2024 before a three-set loss to compatriot Emma Navarro.

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The American holds 7,874 points in the WTA Live Rankings — just as she does in the official WTA Rankings — though sits at world No 2 in the live rankings, ahead of Iga Swiatek.

Having surged back inside the top 30 of the rankings following her Canadian Open run earlier this month, Osaka was ranked as the world No 24 heading into the event.

The Japanese has eclipsed the 70 points she earned for reaching the second round in 2024, and moves to 1,949 points in the WTA Live Rankings — provisionally up two places to world No 22.

Whoever wins this match will be awarded 430 ranking points for reaching the quarter-final.

That would push Osaka up to 2,139 points and provisionally up to world No 19 in the rankings, provisionally returning to the top 20.

Victory for Gauff would push her to 8,064 points, maintaining her position of No 2 in the live rankings.

Prize money

Prize money at the US Open is bigger than ever, with this year’s men’s and women’s singles champions set to take home a tennis record $5,000,000 in winnings from New York.

However, by reaching the fourth round of this year’s event, Osaka and Gauff have already secured significant paydays.

With $110,000 available in the first round, the two earned $154,000 for reaching round two, and $237,000 for reaching round three.

After progressing to the second week, Osaka and Gauff have both now secured a staggering $400,000 in winnings from the tournament, with the winner set to earn $660,000 for reaching the last eight.

Heading into the US Open, Osaka had already earned $1,180,367 for 2025, while Gauff had earned a staggering $5,946,685 in winnings for her season to date.

Read Next: WTA Rankings Winners & Losers US Open: Sabalenka stays at No 1, Raducanu top 35, Townsend +28, Tjen +22

The post What prize money & ranking points can Naomi Osaka & Coco Gauff earn in crunch US Open clash? appeared first on Tennis365.

The first week of the 2025 US Open is done and dusted, and a few winners and losers have already emerged in terms of the WTA Rankings.

Aryna Sabalenka has won the three-way fight with Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff for the No 1 spot, while the surprise runs of Taylor Townsend, Cristina Bucsa and Janice Tjen have resulted in incredible boosts in the rankings.

Having failed to defend her Cincinnati Open crown, Sabalenka opened the door for Swiatek and Gauff to overtake her at No 1 after the US Open as she also dropped 2,000 points at the start of the hard-court Grand Slam.

Sabalenka effectively started the tournament on 9,225 points and Swiatek or Gauff had an opportunity to replace her at the top, but they had to win the tournament and hope that the Belarusian lost before the quarter-final.

WTA Top 10 Before US Open

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,225 points
2. Iga Swiatek – 7,933
3. Coco Gauff – 7,874
4. Jessica Pegula – 4,903
5. Mirra Andreeva – 4,733
6. Madison Keys – 4,699
7. Zheng Qinwen – 4,433
8. Jasmine Paolini – 4,116
9. Amanda Anisimova – 3,869
10. Elena Rybakina – 3,663

That door has now shut after she reached the last four with a win over Busca (more on the Spaniard below) with Gauff still at No 2 in the Live Rankings.

The American only has to equal Swiatek’s result to remain second behind Sabalenka after the tournament while just behind the top three is a provisional new world No 4 in Mirra Andreeva. However, the 18-year-old could still slip back as she lost in the round of 32.

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Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova is up three spots in the Live Rankings to a career-high of No 6 after reaching the round of 16 with Jessica Pegula down three as she dropped 1,300 points at the start of the tournament following her runners-up finish in 2025.

But there is good news for Pegula as she is into the quarter-finals, while Elena Rybakina completes the top 10 following her fourth-round exit to Marketa Vondrousova.

WTA Top 10 Live Rankings*

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 9,655 points
2. Coco Gauff – 7,874
3. Iga Swiatek – 7,743
4. Mirra Andreeva – 4,793
5. Madison Keys – 4,579
6. Amanda Anisimova – 4,099
7. Jessica Pegula – 4,033
8. Jasmine Paolini – 4,006
9. Zheng Qinwen – 4,003
10. Elena Rybakina – 3,833

The Winners

The other winners inside the top 20 were Daria Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic as they both moved up four places in the Live Rankings with the former at No 14 and Bencic a place behind, but both have already exited the tournament.

But as usual, the biggest winners started much further down the rankings and two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova is one of those as the former world No 3 started the campaign at No 62 as she has endured another injury-ravaged season.

The Czech took out rising star and 23rd seed Victoria Mboko, 10th seed Emma Navarro and the impressive Taylor Townsend to reach the quarter-final. She is projected to rise 23 places to No 39 and if she beats Pegula in the quarter-final, she could return to the top 30.

Also inside the top 40 is Emma Raducanu as she moved up just two places to No 34 for her run to the third round.

But Raducanu could still drop as Marketa Vondrousova is on the charge as she is up 24 places to No 36 after beating Rybakina in the fourth round.

Back to Townsend, she was also one of the stars of the US Open as she defeated 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in a heated second-round match and then took out fifth seed Andreeva.

Her reward is not as big as she would have liked, as she will stay outside the top 100, but she is projected to jump 28 places to No 111.

Back to the top 100, Busca beat Alex Eala and 19th seed Elise Mertens en route to the fourth round as she is set to jump 34 places to No 61. Eala, who made history by becoming the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam singles match, is up five places to No 70, well below her career-best of No 56.

Teenager Tereza Valentova came through qualifying and reached the round of 64 and she is set to rise 19 places to a new high of 77.

Janice Tjen put Indonesia on the Grand Slam tennis map as she became the first player from the Asian country to win a singles match she is up 22 places to a new high of 127

The Losers

Emma Navarro reached the semi-final last year, but lost in the third round against Krejcikova and, as a result, is down five places to No 16. She has now lost six of her last nine matches.

Paula Badosa didn’t feature at Flushing Meadows due to injury and she will drop at least nine places to No 19.

Further down the list, Donna Vekic reached the fourth round last year, but lost in the round of 34 this time and she is projected to drop 18 places to No 67 while Ajla Tomljanovic is -12 and sits at No 91 after going down in three sets against Coco Gauff in the first round.

But for most of the big-name players, the damage was not too big.

*Several players still have to complete their fourth-round matches so there will be changes in the Live Rankings before the quarter-finals.

The post WTA Rankings Winners & Losers US Open: Sabalenka stays at No 1, Raducanu top 35, Townsend +28, Tjen +22 appeared first on Tennis365.

It may sound ridiculous to suggest world No 3 Coco Gauff should take a break from tennis, but this is written with the best of intentions.

Back in June, just a few short weeks ago, Gauff was dancing around Roland Garros after winning her first title at the French Open, with her battling win against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka highlighting all her admirable fighting qualities.

Yet even on that dull Saturday afternoon in Paris, it was evident that a major hole remains in the game of this great icon of our sport, with her faltering serve a part of her make-up that has proved to be hard to shift.

At the age of 21, Gauff has already achieved more than many of the biggest names in the women’s game, with her US Open win in 2023 and French Open triumph this year inked onto a record that is already good enough to ensure she will enter the tennis Hall of Fame in the future.

Yet her performances at this year’s US Open have been hard to watch.

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After making the surprise decision to change her coaching set-up in the days before the final Grand Slam of the year, Gauff only had a few days to work with new coach Gavin MacMillan before she played her first round match against Ajla Tomljanovic.

Gauff admitted she struggled to get through that match as she tried to process all the information coming her way from MacMillan.

“It’s hard to do what we are trying to do during a Grand Slam,” said Gauff.

“It was a very sudden decision to make the change. Gavin magically became available. I just felt this was the best decision for my game, at least, and I had to go with what I was feeling.

“I think Matt is a great coach and a great person and 100% love working with him. Yeah, I mean, we obviously had a very successful partnership, but I’m just looking at long term.

“I know Gavin has had experience with this before so, hoping I can just take on his knowledge and see what can happen.

“It was a decision I had to make and by this time next year, I’m sure I will be serving a lot better. It’s all about the mechanics and like learning a new language. It’s just about trying that new [service] motion and when I do it well, it always provides a good result.

“The other thing is not just thinking about the serve. I need to think about how I will play out the point. It’s not a mental thing. It’s a biomechanics thing and I’m just working hard to get it right.”

Gauff is asked about her serve in each and every press conference and it was clear that the emotion of everything she is dealing with was overwhelming her when she staggered through her second round match against Croatian Donna Vekic.

Visibly emotional during that match and also at the end as she spoke to the crowd, Gauff told Sky Sports her challenge was tough to deal with.

“I think it was a panic attack,” she said. “I’ve had them before off court but it was the first time it happened to me on the court.

“I was trying to calm myself down and breathe in the moment and that was why I went to the bathroom after the first set to reset.

“It was one of the moments where I was like ‘I want to get off the court right now and it be over with’. I think I needed it to happen because the support I got afterwards I realised how much people love me and how much I should love myself in those moments.

“It was a learning experience, I’ll remember it for the rest of my career and know there’s a lot more to be grateful for than losing on a court.”

Commendably, Gauff is continuing to fight her demons on the court, but the sensible move when her US Open adventure ends would be to step back from the spotlight, work with coach MacMillan to resolve her solving problems and return to action when the time is right.

Anyone who has played tennis at any level will confirm that your game tends to be built around your serve.

If it’s working well, the rest of your game tends to flow around it, but Gauff has a remarkable ability to compartmentalise on court, with her serve treated as a separate entity to her impressive all-round game.

She has had issues with her forehand as well, but they are not as significant as her serving problems, that can creep up on her suddenly and when they strike, they hit in a real rush.

Double faults can flow, as tension visibly rises and it is hard for the audience at the stadium and watching at home on TV to see this wonderful young lady putting herself through such a mental ordeal before our eyes.

So Gauff may be wise to take a step back in a bid to take a stride forward.

If she spends six weeks working with coach MacMillian away from competition, she could make huge progress on her service motion and while that may mean missing the Asian swing of the WTA Tour, it could be an investment in time that would reap long-term dividends.

Tennis needs Gauff to be a champion of our sport for a decade and more and we don’t need to see too much more of the agonies she has lived through at this year’s US Open.

READ NEXT: Has Coco Gauff already written off this year’s US Open after candid admission?

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Former British No 1 Laura Robson didn’t know where to look as she gave her verdict on a romantic moment on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday.

The US Open cameras captured a special moment as a fan went down on one knee and proposed to his partner, amid wild scenes of celebration on the biggest tennis court in the world.

It appeared to be a moment to savour, but Robson was not impressed as she was asked to give her verdict on the engagement scene, as she was quick to suggest she would rather avoid such public shows of affection.

“I can’t think of anything worse,” declared Robson, in comments that were quickly put into context by her studio colleague and 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, Martina Navratilova, who revealed she proposed to her partner Julia Lemigova on the same court back in 2014.

“I proposed to Julia on Ashe 11 years ago,” declared tennis icon Navratilova.

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“It was during a match, they did a thing on the changeover, they showed us on the screen.

“I got down on my knee and Julia was like looking at me, I was like, ‘Can you please say something? My knees are killing me.’

“She finally said yes, it took her a while though. It was a surprise.”

These reactions tell it all…

Please Martina, Laura and Tim never change pic.twitter.com/JwjQvdiNiE

— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) August 30, 2025

Having been so dismissive of the idea of a proposal in front of the watching tennis world, Robson didn’t know where to look and her discomfort was not made any easier by studio guest Tim Henman, with the former British No 1 delighted to revel in her discomfort.

The incident took place during Aryna Sabalenka’s win against Leylah Fernandez, with the world No 1 asked about the moment after her win.

“I think it’s the first time that someone proposed during my match,” said Sabalenka.

“It was a very sweet moment, but I was just trying not to start smiling, because it’s very cute and I believe they’re super happy right now.

“I was just trying to keep focusing on my game, and it was great moment, and as I said on court, I wish them happy marriage.

“I don’t want this kind of proposal. But I looked at my boyfriend. No pressure!”

READ NEXT: Jelena Ostapenko had to break her silence amid racism storm – but the damage can’t be repaired

The post Laura Robson left red-faced after Martina Navratilova made a romantic revelation appeared first on Tennis365.

A gap has emerged at the top of the WTA Tour in recent weeks, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff seemingly separating themselves from the rest of the field.

All three are reigning Grand Slam champions, with Sabalenka looking to defend her US Open title this week after Gauff’s French Open and Swiatek’s Wimbledon triumphs earlier in the year.

After not winning a Grand Slam earlier this season, coupled with a quarter-final exit during her Cincinnati Open title defence two weeks ago, the Belarusian’s world No 1 ranking was up for grabs in New York.

Swiatek, who has previously held the world No 1 ranking for 125 weeks, and Gauff, looking to reign atop the rankings for the first time, were the two women looking to hunt Sabalenka down.

However, with week one of the US Open done and dusted, Sabalenka now has the chance to end the world No 1 battle in New York — and focus solely on her trying to win a fourth Grand Slam title.

As it stands

In the WTA Rankings, Sabalenka has a comfortable lead over her two leading rivals.

The 27-year-old holds 11,225 points, with world No 2 Swiatek on 7,933 points and No 3 Gauff on 7,874 points.

However, if you remove last year’s US Open points, the opportunity for Swiatek and Gauff in New York was evident.

With only 10 points available in the opening round, Sabalenka dropped down to 9,235 points in the WTA Live Rankings.

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In contrast, with just 430 quarter-final points to defend, Swiatek only fell back to 7,513 points, while Gauff, who only had 240 points to defend, dropped back to 7,644.

That put Gauff back above Swiatek in the WTA Live Rankings ahead of the tournament, though it put both women within striking distance of Sabalenka.

With 2,000 ranking points available for the eventual champion in New York, the American and the Pole can both return to world No 1 if either won the title, and Sabalenka fell early.

However, ahead of week two, Sabalenka is close to ending her rival’s chances.

What does she need to do?

Away from Swiatek and Gauff, who sit in the bottom half of the draw, top seed Sabalenka has safely navigated her way into round four.

So far, the world No 1 is yet to drop a set in New York, with victories over Rebeka Masarova, Polina Kudermetova, and 31st seed Leylah Fernandez keeping her campaign alive.

Sabalenka has earned 240 ranking points for reaching the fourth round, and holds 9,465 points in the WTA Live Rankings — still down 1,740 from her official total.

Swiatek would hold 9,503 points with a run to the title, while Gauff would hold 9,634 points with victory in New York, putting them ahead of Sabalenka’s current total.

However, victory in the fourth round will be enough for Sabalenka to remain as the world No 1, regardless of how the rest of the event fares for all three women.

Should Sabalenka prevail in her fourth-round match on Sunday, she would move to 9,655 points in the WTA Live Rankings, ahead of both Swiatek and Gauff’s maximum tallies for the event.

And, the Belarusian has been handed a favourable match-up.

Sabalenka is set to face Cristina Bucsa inside Court Louis Armstrong on Sunday, in a first career meeting between the two.

Ninety-four places separate the world No 1 and world No 95 Bucsa in the WTA Rankings, with the Spaniard into the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles draw for the first time.

Sabalenka enters this match as a sizeable favourite and, while her tournament will be far from done with victory, she can ease some of the pressure on her.

Read Next: What prize money & ranking points has Taylor Townsend won during epic US Open run?

The post WTA Rankings battle for No 1: How Aryna Sabalenka can dash Coco Gauff & Iga Swiatek’s hopes appeared first on Tennis365.

The US Open is a tournament used to showcase the greatest stars in tennis, and few have shone as brightly as Taylor Townsend in 2025.

Home favourite Townsend was unseeded in the draw this year but has become one of the most talked about players of the event, and now finds herself as one of only 16 women still standing in New York.

The 29-year-old attracted global headlines after an astonishing outburst from 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko following their second-round clash, an incident in which the Latvian apologised for on Saturday.

Townsend would have been relieved to have finally put that behind her when she returned for round three action, and picked up an even bigger win — downing fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in straight sets.

As she prepares to compete in week two of a Grand Slam singles event for just the second time in her career, we look at what the American has so far earned for her efforts in New York.

Ranking points

After reaching a career-high of world No 46 last summer, Townsend plummeted down the WTA Rankings after failing to defend her quarter-final points from the 2024 Canadian Open.

Despite rising to doubles world No 1 this summer, the 29-year-old had dropped down to world No 139 ahead of the US Open, though she is now guaranteed a significant surge.

By reaching the fourth round of her home major, Townsend has earned 240 ranking points this week, up from the 70 points she earned for reaching round two back in 2024.

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Provisionally increasing her points total by 170 as things stand, the American is currently projected to leap 28 places up to world No 111 post-tournament.

If Townsend were to beat Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round on Sunday, that would earn her 430 ranking points.

That would propel the 29-year-old back into the top 100, with an approximate ranking of world No 85 in the WTA Live Rankings.

Prize money

The US Open has significantly increased the tournament prize money in 2025, and Townsend is among the players set to benefit.

Even by entering the main draw, she was guaranteed to earn the $110,000 available for players in round one, though her opening victory over Antonia Ruzic saw her move to $154,000 for round two.

Victory over Ostapenko at the stage saw Townsend move up to $237,000 in singles prize money for the tournament, though she surged even further by defeating Andreeva in round three.

By reaching the fourth round, she has guaranteed herself a minimum of $400,000 in prize money for her singles campaign.

That is a substantial increase on the $280,000 Townsend won for reaching the fourth round of the US Open in 2019, the only previous time she reached the second week of a Grand Slam singles event.

Victory over Krejcikova would see her reach a first major singles quarter-final, and earn her $660,000 in singles prize money for the tournament.

Read Next: Jelena Ostapenko had to break her silence amid racism storm – but the damage can’t be repaired

The post What prize money & ranking points has Taylor Townsend won during epic US Open run? appeared first on Tennis365.

Jelena Ostapenko has made a move to try and end the storm around her bust-up with Taylor Townsend, as she took a step to try and end a story that has refused to die down.

Townsend beat Ostapenko at the US Open, but the loser in their battle made her point at the end of the match as she suggested the American should have apologised for a net cord.

Her gripe manifested itself into an ugly tirade, as she suggested Townsend has “no education” and “no class”.

Those comments were viewed by many observers, especially in America, as having a racial undertone, with Townsend clearly shocked the manner of abuse coming at her.

The story has gathered momentum in recent days and has become of the big talking points of this year’s US Open, with Ostapenko cast as the villain in what was an ugly story.

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Ostapenko issued a statement insisting her comment has no racial undertones, but she has now offered up fresh comments to try and defuse a story that has developed a life of its own.

“English is not my native language so when I said education, I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court,” said Ostapenko.

“I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye New York and I look forward to being back next year.”

Townsend has become the face of the 2025 US Open in America and she continued her impressive run in the singles tournament with a thrilling win against No 5 seed Mirra Andreeva.

“I’m really just proud that I kept the main thing the main thing,” said the 29-year-old.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me over these last 48 hours. It’s bigger than me. It’s about the message, it’s about the representation, it’s about being bold and being able to show up as yourself, and I did that.”

This story will haunt Ostapenko, especially when players with a profile such as Naomi Osaka intervened with such pointed comments.

“I think obviously it’s one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport,” who is through to the fourth round, where she will face Coco Gauff.

“Granted, I know Taylor and I know how hard she’s worked and I know how smart she is, so she’s the furthest thing from uneducated or anything like that.

“If you are genuinely asking me about the history of Ostapenko, I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she has said. It was bad timing and the worst person she could have said that to.

“I don’t know if she knows the history of it in America and she will never say that again, but it’s just terrible. That was really bad.”

Ostapenko’s latest statement confirms she appreciates the hurt her words caused, but her punishment may be that this story will be as big a part of her tennis legacy as anything she achieves on court.

READ NEXT: Naomi Osaka enters Jelena Ostapenko racism row with pointed comments

The post Jelena Ostapenko had to break her silence amid racism storm – but the damage can’t be repaired appeared first on Tennis365.

Daria Abramowicz has faced criticism over her relationship with Iga Swiatek this season, but how has the psychologist responded to the noise surrounding her role on the Polish star’s team?

Swiatek started working with Abramowicz, a renowned sports psychologist, in February 2019, when she was 17 years old and ranked just inside the top 150 on the WTA Tour.

Abramowicz has been praised for helping Swiatek become the leading player of her generation, with the 24-year-old securing 24 titles, including six Grand Slams, and spending 125 weeks as the world No 1.

During the 2020 French Open, where Swiatek won her maiden major title, the Pole credited Abramowicz for making her “smarter” and increasing her confidence level.

The pair’s partnership came under scrutiny earlier this year, though, as Swiatek was criticised for some of her on-court behaviour during a difficult run of form.

The world No 2 appeared to hit a ball towards her team – close to a ball boy – during her Indian Wells semi-final loss to Mirra Andreeva in March. Abramowicz, 37, was seen shouting from the stands during the match.

Following this incident, Polish sports psychologist Dariusz Nowicki claimed “certain boundaries” between Abramowicz and Swiatek had been crossed and labelled the partnership “disturbed.”

“If we were to look at this relationship only and exclusively from the point of view of strictly psychological workshop, then it is indeed a disturbed relationship, in which certain boundaries of professional distance between the psychologist and the client are crossed,” Nowicki told Interia Sport.

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“Unfortunately, most errors in perception occur when emotions are aroused. Regardless of whether these are positive or negative emotions, then we make errors in the accuracy of observation.”

Ahead of the French Open, Swiatek defended Abramowicz amid strong criticism from the Polish media.

“Daria is a constant source of support for me, someone I trust,” she said. “In fact, I trust my entire team, and I want people around to know that.

“This is my team – I decide who’s in it. The recent media pressure doesn’t create space for calm and focused work. On the contrary it creates additional, unnecessary stress.”

Abramowicz addressed the questions over her role in an interview with Marek Furjan, who hosts the Polish tennis podcast Break Point.

Furjan asked Abramowicz if she had considered sitting separately from Swiatek’s coaches during matches.

Furjan: “Didn’t you ever want to move a little away from [Wim] Fissette or [Tomasz] Wiktorowski, to the third or fourth row? Because in my opinion, that could resolve these tensions.”

Abramowicz: “But I do what is expected of me, what the athlete I work with asks me to do. And let’s move from that.

“If a player wants to have her own team, and if she wants us to, for example, not smile in the box, or cheer after every point, but rather look focused and be very meticulous, for example, or if she said before the match, ‘I need a lot of energy from you today, so I need a lot of “jazda” (a Polish word meaning let’s go), and so on, then we’ll do it.

“And of course, I talked to Iga about it. Of course I do: ‘Do you want us to make any changes? Or maybe I shouldn’t, for example, do you want me to skip a trip?’ And I repeat again: I do what the athlete expects of me.”

READ NEXT: Iga Swiatek left in disbelief as US Open journalist storms out of press conference after row

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American hopes at the 2025 US Open suffered a hammer blow on Friday as Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, who have both shone at Flushing Meadows in recent years, exited the tournament in the third round within an hour of each other.

Shelton, a US Open semi-finalist in 2023, was forced to retire with a shoulder injury with the score tied at 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6 in his third round match with world No 77 Adrian Mannarino in Louis Armstrong Stadium. The world No 6 suffered the injury when diving on the court to win the third set in stunning fashion.

After telling his father and coach Bryan he was experiencing “more pain than he has ever felt on a tennis court”, Shelton battled through the fourth set, but he was unable to start the fifth. The 22-year-old left the court in tears.

Shortly after Shelton’s painful exit, Tiafoe was upset 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(7) by the dangerous 144th-ranked qualifier Lan-Lennard Struff on Grandstand court.

The world No 17, who was a semi-finalist at the New York major in 2022 and 2024, had a set point in the third set, but was outplayed throughout by the big-hitting 35-year-old German.

The loss of Shelton and Tiafoe, who were both in the bottom half of the draw, could benefit No 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz and No 7 seed Novak Djokovic — who were likely opponents for the two home favourites.

Alcaraz was projected to face Shelton in the quarter-finals, which many were forecasting as a tricky potential encounter for the Spaniard despite his 3-0 head-to-head record against the American.

Shelton tested Alcaraz in a pulsating four-set last 16 match at the French Open in June, and he arrived at the US Open after winning his biggest career title in Toronto and making the quarter-finals in Cincinnati.

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The American continued his impressive form at Flushing Meadows with clinical wins in his two matches before facing Mannarino, and his firepower makes him dangerous to even the game’s elite when in full flight.

If Alcaraz can navigate a fourth round meeting with 82nd-ranked Arthur Rinderknech, he will take on either Mannarino or 21st seed Jiri Lehecka — which represents a more favourable draw than playing Shelton.

Djokovic, meanwhile, would have met Tiafoe in the last 16 had the 27-year-old American overcome Struff.

While Djokovic is 1-0 against Tiafoe (2-0 including Laver Cup), the former world No 10 — who often brings his best tennis in big US Open matches — could have been a tough fourth round opponent.

As impressive as Struff has been to win six straight matches in New York (including qualifying), Djokovic holds a 7-0 record against the German and has only lost one set across all of their previous meetings.

The way the bottom half of the draw has played out has arguably increased the chances of a semi-final blockbuster between Alcaraz and Djokovic.

For Djokovic, a potential quarter-final clash with leading American hope Taylor Fritz — the fourth seed and 2024 US Open runner-up — looms if he gets past Struff and Fritz beats Tomas Machac. The Serb holds a 10-0 record against Fritz, which feels like a huge psychological hurdle for the Californian to overcome.

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic admits he is ‘more concerned than I have ever been’ after US Open injury scare

The post Why Carlos Alcaraz & Novak Djokovic are big winners from Ben Shelton & Frances Tiafoe’s US Open exits appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic spoke with brutal honesty about his physical condition after overcoming an injury scare to claim a four-set victory over Cameron Norrie at the 2025 US Open.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion prevailed 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3 against 35th-ranked Norrie in the third round of the US Open after two hours and 49 minutes in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic left the court when leading 5-4 in the first set for a medical timeout due to a back issue that was causing him visible discomfort. The Serbian also received treatment early in the second set.

After seeing a 3-1 tiebreak lead slip away to lose the second set, Djokovic was broken in the opening game of the third set, but he responded by winning 12 of the next 16 games to seal his progress to the last 16.

The 38-year-old also struggled physically at times in his first two matches in New York and admitted after his second round win over Zachary Svajda that he “didn’t feel that great.”

Following his win against Norrie, Djokovic did not hide his concern about his body in a candid interview with ESPN.

“Well, honestly I am concerned. You know, nowadays [I am] more concerned than I have ever been,” said the four-time US Open champion.

“Even though I really am meticulous with the care for my body and I put in a lot of hours on and off the court to make sure that my body is fit and recovered well.

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“But you know, age is… you can’t fight it. So things are different. I have to obviously adjust myself the way I approach things training.

“Sometimes I don’t train between matches because with my team when I have this discussion, we think that long term is better and that recovery is more important than hitting some balls in the court.

“So maybe that’s going to be the case tomorrow. We have to still discuss that and just focus on recovery and get ready for next one.”

The world No 7 also addressed how long he spends on recovery in between matches.

“Actually probably even more when I was younger; it’s just in order to keep up with the youngsters I just have to put an extra, extra hour, extra few hours every day,” Djokovic explained.

“Whether it’s table work, whether it’s recovery from using different wellness machines or good sleep, nutrition, obviously all of it, all of it comes into equation and all of it matters when you go deeper in the tournament.

“The young guys, they come in fresh and I come with a half tank empty in a sense and so I’m going to try to change that for this tournament. I don’t know if that’s going to be possible.

“Obviously, it’s very unpredictable how the body is going to respond. But one thing is for sure, I’m always going to give my very best the last drop of energy to make sure that I go as deep as I possibly can.”

Djokovic will face world No 144 Jan-Lennard Stuff in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.

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