US Open - Day 6: Iga inspired by Serena

“It was really nice to see her. She has a lot of positive energy. It's nice that she came on-site and she was chatting with the players, because for me, I still felt, even though we met before and for like couple of years we have been on the same sides and on tour together, she's still like star-striking me,” said Swiatek with a smile.

“It was nice that she approached me, because I wouldn't, for sure, find courage to do that if it was the other way.

“I'm happy that she's following tennis and, like, my game, because she told me that she's cheering for me. It's always nice to hear that from somebody like Serena.”

As a player with meticulous pre-match routines, Swiatek was asked if speaking to Williams before her third round was distracting in any way.

The Polish star quickly dismissed the notion.

“I would say it more inspired me and it gave me, like, a positive kick, so it was nice,” she said.

A while later, Swiatek defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-2 to reach the US Open fourth round for a fourth consecutive year.

Up next for the 2022 champion is No.16 seed Liudmila Samsonova.

➡️ Full women’s singles draw

Medvedev + Ashe night session = perfect match

When fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev was broken in the third game of his third round by an explosive Flavio Cobolli, flashbacks of the early exits of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic from the previous two days crept into the minds of many watching the clash unfold on Arthur Ashe stadium on Saturday night.

The 22-year-old Cobolli started off playing lights-out tennis, pummelling one forehand after another with the kind of hunger one can expect from a US Open debutant seeking a maiden spot in a Grand Slam round of 16.

Dropping serve proved to be a momentary lapse from Medvedev though, as he responded like the former US Open champion that he is, outlasting his younger opponent in some brutal extended rallies to break twice en route to a one-set lead.

Late in the second set, Medvedev decided to put on a show. He successfully serve-and-volleyed then urged the crowd to cheer louder, clearly proud of his own execution on a stylish volley.

The next point, he pulled off an inch-perfect lob winner that left Cobolli no choice but to toss his racquet in the air, hoping it would connect with the ball. Medvedev once again signalled to the spectators in the stands, who obligingly roared louder in response.   

After witnessing huge upsets in back-to-back nights at the US Open, Medvedev steadied the ship as he stormed into the last-16 stage with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 result over the impressive Italian, who no doubt won himself scores of new fans with his flashy display against the ex-world No.1.

Medvedev, the only former champion remaining in the draw, next takes on Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

Sinner books Paul meeting

World No.1 Jannik Sinner also avoided the upset bug going around, easing past Australian Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in under two hours.

The Italian has now reached the fourth round at all four Grand Slams in the same season for the second time in his career.

Despite Djokovic and Alcaraz both vacating the draw, Sinner insists his approach to the tournament remains the same.

“It shows that this sport is unpredictable, no? Whenever you drop a little bit of your level, if it's mental, if it's tennis-wise or physical, at the end it has a huge impact on the result. Both opponents who they lost against, they played some incredible tennis. And it happens,” said Sinner, commenting on his rivals’ surprise losses.

“So I just watch on my side what I have to do, you know, that I guess I have done also in last period of time, and then we will see what I can do.”

In the Sweet 16, the top seed will face his toughest test to date at this tournament when he takes on American Tommy Paul, who is through to the US Open fourth round for a second consecutive year, thanks to a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(3) over Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo.

➡️ Full men’s singles draw

Comeback of the day

Borges saved three consecutive match points in the fourth-set tiebreak before completing a 6-7(5), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-0 victory over Czech teenager Jakub Mensik to reach the US Open fourth round for the first time.

He is the second-ever Portuguese player to make it this far in New York and the first to make two Grand Slam second weeks in the same year.

Stats of the day

With her 6-3, 6-4 win over Yulia Putintseva, No.5 seed Jasmine Paolini has become the first Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the round of 16 in singles at all four Grand Slams in a calendar year.

Only Carlos Alcaraz has won more Grand Slam matches (19) this season than Paolini, who now has 18 victories at the majors in 2024, including two final appearances at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.

Quote of the day

“I guess we are fast on court so I think we can play really good tennis. We are a few that are so short, so it’s good sometimes to play somebody short as me because the serve maybe it’s a little bit different. So at the beginning I was struggling a little bit because I couldn’t return that well. But yeah, we have different shots, different abilities to play tennis. I think it’s nice also to have short people playing tennis, come on guys, it’s nice.”

– Height is just a number for the ever-impressive Paolini.