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Sunday, September 6, 2026

US.7- There She Goes Again


And on Day 7, Madison Keys devolved back into Madison Keys again.










=DAY 7 NOTES=
...was it really just two days ago that "New Madi" crawled back out of the shadows to remind everyone that Madison Keys has the talent to be a true "dawg" on the court, storming back to save five MP against Anna Bondar in the 2nd Round, only to get bounced from the the tournament today after leading 5-0 (!!) and holding a MP just one round later?

Of course it was, because that *is* Madison Keys. Always has been and, 2025 AO title notwithstanding, always will be. Apparently.

Today's collapse was just a case of there she goes again.



After taking a 6-1 1st set vs. qualifier (and two-time quarterfinalist) Zheng Qinwen in their 3rd Round match-up on Saturday, #22-seeded Keys had fought to try to get off the court in straights. She recovered from a 5-3 deficit in the 2nd to force a TB, only to lose it 7-3. No matter, she raced out to a 5-0 lead in the decider. So... it was over, right? Nope.

Keys would hold a MP on serve at 5-1, then served for the match again at 5-3. But Zheng couldn't stop winning, while Keys never won again. Suddenly serving for the match up 6-5, Zheng fell behind 15/30. But Keys continued the hail of unforced errors that traditionally accompany one of her epic breakdowns, as Zheng finished off her seventh straight game to win 1-6/7-6(3)/7-5.

While Zheng fell onto her back on the court, Keys whacked herself over her head with her racket. Now what did the racket do to deserve that?



Of course, this sort of thing is nothing new in the Keys oeuvre, going back many, many years. And even winning the AO title last year didn't change the landscape. Despite Top 5 talent, save for the 2-3 very good results that prop up her ranking on an annual basis, she still can't help but struggle and spin her wheels with a perpetual standing somewhere between #15-20.

Of course, in typical Keys fashion, her failure to win this match today will be followed by her FALLING UP, ranking wise. She came into this Open at #24, but even after today's debacle she's currently up to #19 in the "live" rankings because, you know, as bad as *this* exit is the one she had at Flushing Meadows *last* year -- in the "best" season of her career -- was actually *worse.* In 2025, Keys was dumped out of the draw in the *1st Round* as the #6 seed, blowing a 7-6(10)/3-0 lead in a loss to Renata Zarazua.

Madison Keys Saw It Coming “Tennis just feels really hard right now, so I feel like that kind of took over,” she said after losing to Zheng Qinwen from 5-0 up in the 3rd. "I mean, I got really scared, like I couldn't swing" stevetignor.substack.com/p/madison-ke...

[image or embed]

— stephentignor.bsky.social (@stephentignor.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at 4:19 PM


As it's turned out, rather than a later-career consolidation of efforts that led to a productive final few chapters, that AO title run has turned out to be the aberration. It's remarkable that it ever happened at all.



Zheng will now roll into a second week meeting with #8 Iga Swiatek, just their second (after I.W. '25) since Zheng pulled the big upset in the Olympic SF at Roland Garros two years ago. It was a moment that changed Zheng's career forever, and a moment after which the Pole hasn't ever quite been the same, either.

Of course, that's the only time that Zheng has defeated Swiatek in her career. Iga leads the head-to-head series 7-1, but it's the loss in Paris that is all that anyone really remembers.

While Zheng had to scale a mountain to get her win today, Swiatek had to constantly fight back against the gusty winds of an upset that threatened to blow her off the semi-redemptive peak she's established for herself this summer with her title run in Toronto.

#25 Marie Bouzkova seemingly had Swiatek right where she would have wanted her today, if she'd been asked about her hopes for the upcoming contest at the start of the day. The match began with four breaks of serve, but it was Bouzkova who broke late in the 1st and had an opportunity to serve out the set at 6-5. She couldn't do it, then Swiatek controlled the ensuing TB, going up 6-2 and winning it 7-3.

In the 2nd, Bouzkova again found herself in a good position, twice going up a break at 3-0 and 4-2. Back on serve late, the Czech had three BP/SP on Swiatek's serve. But the Pole battled through the muck of a below-average game with an above average mental performance, getting the game 12 hold and then again taking a 7-3 TB to get off the court in straights with a 7-6(3)/7-6(3) victory.



With her sixth straight second week run in New York, and her eighth in the last nine majors (minus only a 3r exit during this summer's Wimbledon title defense attempt), Swiatek's performance today gives hope to the Pole that she might be capable of recapuring the particular brand of resilience she displayed during her U.S. Open title run four years ago, when she pulled through a round-by-round "B"-game (or maybe B-) performance by finding a way to win all the biggest points and scrap her way to maybe her most impressive slam title run (at least until her SW19 win).

Zheng, and the Chinese star's muscle memory from that past win in Paris, will soon test Swiatek again, with a potential match-up against either Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina waiting on deck should she pull her way through.

...#13-seeded Osaka won a three-set encounter with #23 Elise Mertens under the lights on Armstrong, rallying from 4-2 down in the 3rd. After being denied a MP on return at 5-4, Osaka eventually broke the Waffle to close out the match, winning 6-3/3-6/7-5 on MP #4.

This is Osaka's third straight second week run at a major, marking the first time in her career that she's posted three consecutive such results in slam play *and* the first time she's ever reached the Round of 16 in three majors in a single season.



#2 Rybakina escaped a trap set by Yuliia Starodubtseva in the 1st set. The Ukrainian notched the first break of the match to take a 5-4 lead, and had the chance to steal the set at the eleventh hour by serving it out a game later. But she immediately fell behind love/40. Starodubtseva got the game to deuce, but Rybakina broke on her fourth BP.

It was Starodubtseva who saved the first SP, down 5-6, as she held to force a TB. Starodubtseva finally reached SP at 6-5, but Rybakina denied her and then swept the final three points to win 8-6. She took the 2nd with less fanfare, winning 7-6(6)/6-3 to move within two wins (reaching the SF) of officially securing the #1 ranking after this tournament.

It seems close, but she'll have to get past Osaka for the first, and then either Zheng or Swiatek for the second. It was Swiatek, remember, who defeated Rybakina last month in the Toronto final (had she won, she'd have gotten within 4 points of Sabalenka), and against whom the Kazakh retired in the Cincinnati QF when was also two wins away from securing the #1 ranking (by reaching the final).



...meanwhile, Anastasia Potapova's masterful spring run on the dirt has sort of gotten lost in the mix of a season chocked full of contenders for #1, young breakout stars and, even during the clay season, even better stretches of success (Kostyuk) or a bigger finish (Andreeva). Potapova went 17-5 in the stretch, notching two Top 4 wins (over Rybakina and Gauff) while stringing together a Linz final, Madrid SF (as a LL), Rome 4th Round (as a Q) and Roland Garros Round of 16. But since she left Paris, the #24-seeded Austrian followed up a 1-3 grass stint with a 2-3 pre-U.S. Open summer hard court prep.

Today, though, Potapova found her way back into the conversation at the expense of an error-prone '25 finalist Amanda Anisimova, winning 6-2/7-5 to record her first Top 10 win on hard court in more than three years.



Potapova's third career slam second week is her first outside of Paris (2024 & '26), and settles her '26 mark on hard courts at 10-10 as she heads into a second straight match against a Top 10 opponent.



That opponent will be the player who ended the spring clay season with the biggest title grab, #5-seeded RG champ Mirra Andreeva. The Hordette took out Nikola Bartunkova 6-2/7-6 today to reach her maiden U.S. Open 4th Round, her best result this season since her win in Paris.

Just fifteen slam MD into her career, Andreeva has now completed her Career Round of 16 slam. The 19-year old has reached the second week at three of this season's majors.



...in the afternoon, #4 Coco Gauff continued her summer hard court roll, prevailing over a game Cristina Bucsa to win 6-3/6-4. Busca had led 3-1 in the 1st set, and was on serve at 4-4 in the 2nd until Gauff went on a match-closing eight-point streak after dropping her serve at love in game 8.



Gauff's ninth straight wins improves her summer HC mark to 12-1. Not only has she won all eight of her sets played at Flushing Meadows, but she's currently on an 18-set heater that began after she lost the 1st set of her Cincinnati opener vs. Liudmila Samsonova that kicked off what turned out to ba a title run. Gauff has won 25 of 28 sets since her loss in the Wimbledon SF.

Gauff's next opponent reacted like this after winning her way into the 4th Round on Ashe on Saturday night....



Of course, in order to reach such a carthartic moment #14 Iva Jovic had to engage in a marvelous match under the lights against #17 Alex Eala, a three-hour duel in which neither burgeoning star proved to be afraid of the moment, nor stepped back as the pressure got more and more intense. Sure, it wasn't exactly a serving tutorial, but the two combined for 78 winners (Jovic 44, Eala 34) and the air of a battle between (still) newcomers -- at age 18 and 21, respectively -- who look far more comfortable under such circumstances than a whole heap of players with a great deal more experience (you know, like a Madison Keys... who couldn't replicate Jovic and Eala's steadiness back when *she* was 17 or 21, either).

The 1st set entertained seven breaks over a dozen games, with four straight mid-set until Jovic held at love to win it 7-5. There were five breaks in nine games in the 2nd, with five consecutive coming in the heart of the set once again until Eala held serve to win 6-3.

Eala seemed to be ready to pull away in the decider. The Filipina broke to open the set, then again took a break lead at 3-2. She held at love for 4-2, and held a pair of BP for a double-break lead in the next game. But Jovic dug in her heels to get the hold, then broke to get things back on serve a game later. After a Jovic hold at love and one point into game 10 (w/ Eala serving down 4-5), the Bannerette had won 12 of 14 points.

Eala would go on to save a MP in that game, and ultimately hold with a 112-mph first serve (she'd averaged under 90 all night).

Two games later, again with Eala serving to stay in the match, the score was tied 30/30 before Jovic finally edged across the finish line, winning 7-5/3-6/7-5.



Jovic was introduced to the big stage two summers ago in New York when at 16 she made her slam MD debut, winning her 1st Round match before nearly upsetting a seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova (who won a 7-5 set) a round later. She exited the court with tears in her eyes. This time, though, the teenager won that 7-5 3rd set.

Jovic came into the U.S. Open as one of just nine women who'd reached the 3rd Round at every major in 2026, and now she's into her third slam *4th* Round this year (she's again one of nine to have reached so many, with only Sabalenka going 4-for-4).



...meanwhile, in the final big pre-U.S. Open J300 junior event in Repentigny (Quebec), Daniella Britton won an all-Brit battle with Hollie Smart in the final, taking the title with a 6-1/6-2 victory.

Smart had defeated the #2 and #4 seeds en route to the final.

France's top seeded Ksenia Efremova, the AO girls' champ, lost early in yet another big hard court event this summer, falling to Serbian Masa Jankovic in the 3rd Round (the same spot she went out as the #1 seed in the College Park J300).

...also at College Park (Maryland), Diede de Groot rebounded from her shutout in the Wimbledon final to win the title in her first event since SW19. The world #2 dropped just ten games over four rounds, taking the final by a 6-0/6-3 win over Dutch countrywoman Aniek Van Koot. It's de Groot's fifth title this season.

De Groot & Van Koot have also reached the doubles final, to be played on Sunday.





*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. Taylor Townsend/USA
#11 Marta Kostyuk/UKR vs. #6 Linda Noskova/CZE
#3 Jessie Pegula/USA vs. #16 Sorana Cirstea/ROU
#21 Anna Kalinskaya/RUS vs. #26 Emma Navarro/USA
#5 Mirra Andreeva/RUS vs. #24 Anastasia Potapova/AUT
#14 Iva Jovic/USA vs. #4 Coco Gauff/USA
#8 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. (Q) Zheng Qinwen/CHN
#13 Naomi Osaka/JPN vs. #2 Elena Rybakina/KAZ

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Siniakova/Townend (CZE/USA) vs. #13 Hunter/Krawczyk (AUS/USA)
Neel/Olmos (EST/MEX) vs. x/x
x/x vs. #10 Perez/Schuurs (AUS/NED) vs. x/x
Bondar/Kalinina (HUN/UKR) vs. #9 Routliffe/Sutjiadi (NZL/INA)
(WC) Krueger/Montgomery (USA/USA) vs. x/x
x/x vs. x/x
x/x vs. #2 Dabrowski/Stefani (CAN/BRA)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik (CZE/CZE) def. #4 Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli (SUI/ITA) 6-3/1-6 [10-6]










...THANKS, COACH... ON DAY 7:





...SHE SHALL RETURN... ON DAY 7:


In real time, "The Subset" had to pivot from their "it's fixed" commentary about Eala to their time-worn "she's a failure who can't play" fallback position. Such rich, unintentional comedy is rarely found.





























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*RECENT U.S. OPEN "COMEBACK" WINNERS*
2017 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2018 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2019 Taylor Townsend, USA
2020 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
2021 U.S. Open fans
2022 Caroline Garcia, FRA
2023 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2024 Karolina Muchova, CZE
2025 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2026 Zheng Qinwen, CHN

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "CRASH & BURN"**
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2019 Sloane Stephens, USA (1st Rd.)
2020 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (2nd Rd.)
2021 A.Barty, AUS and N.Osaka, JPN (3rd Rd.)
2022 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2023 Maria Sakkari, GRE (1st Rd.)
2024 Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2nd Rd. w/o)
2025 Madison Keys, USA (1st Rd.)
2026 Madison Keys, USA (3rd Rd.)

**U.S. OPEN "BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKOUT" WINNERS**
2019 Kristie Ahn
2020 Jennifer Brady
2021 Coco Gauff/Caty McNally
2022 NO AWARD GIVEN
2023 Peyton Stearns
2024 Ashlyn Krueger
2025 Taylor Townsend
2026 Iva Jovic

**BACKSPIN 2026 JUNIOR STAR-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Sun Xinran, CHN
AO: Ksenia Efremova, FRA
FEB: Janae Preston, USA
MAR: Nana Silva, BRA (aka Nauhany Vitoria Leme da Silva)
1Q...EFREMOVA
APR: Nana Silva, BRA
MAY: Victoria Luiza Barros, BRA
RG: Alisa Oktiabreva, RUS
2Q 1...OKTIABREVA
JUN: Janae Preston, USA
WI: Anna Pushkareva, RUS
2Q 2 (grass)...JANA KOVACKOVA, CZE
JUL: Lujza Beviz, HUN
AUG: Felitsata Dorofeeva-Rybas, RUS
[Multiple 2026 Weekly JUNIOR STAR Award Wins]
6...Sun Xinran, CHN
5...Janae Preston, USA
4...Nana Silva, BRA
3...Victoria Luiza Barros, BRA
3...Ksenia Efremova, FRA
3...Jana Kovackova/Katerina Zajickova, CZE/CZE
2...Victoria Luiza Barros/Nana Silva, BRA/BRA
2...Felitsata Dorofeeva-Rybas, RUS
2...Kristina Liutova, RUS
2...Mariia Makarova, RUS
2...Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, IND
2...Giulia Safina Popa, ROU
2...Mariella Thamm, GER

**BACKSPIN 2026 WHEELCHAIR PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Wang Ziying, CHN
AO: Li Xiaohui, CHN
FEB: Diede de Groot, NED
MAR: Aniek Van Koot, NED
1Q...LI
APR: Yui Kamiji, JPN
MAY: Lizzy de Greef, NED
RG: Diede de Groot, NED
2Q 1...DE GROOT
JUN: Diede de Groot, NED
WI: Yui Kamiji, JPN
2Q 2 (grass)...KAMIJI
JUL: Lizzy de Greef, NED
AUG/SEPT: Diede de Groot, NED
[Multiple 2025 Weekly WHEELCHAIR Award Wins]
5...Yui Kamiji, JPN
4...Diede de Groot, NED
3...Lizzy de Greef, NED
2...Li Xiaohui, CHN
2...Wang Ziying, CHN
2...Zhu Zhenzhen, CHN




*2026 US FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#1 - Aryna Sabalenka
#2 - Elena Rybakina
#3 - Jessie Pegula
#4 - Coco Gauff
#5 - Mirra Andreeva
#6 - Linda Noskova
#8 - Iga Swiatek
#11 - Marta Kostyuk
#13 - Naomi Osaka
#14 - Iva Jovic
#17 - Sorana Cirstea
#23 - Anna Kalinskaya
#25 - Anastasia Potapova
#27 - Emma Navarro
#96 - Taylor Townsend
#121 - Zheng Qinwen

[by age]
36 - Cirstea
32 - Pegula
30 - Townsend
28 - Osaka, Sabalenka
27 - Kalinskaya, Rybakina
25 - Navarro, Potapova, Swiatek
24 - Kostyuk
23 - Zheng
22 - Gauff
21 - Noskova
19 - Andreeva
18 - Jovic

[by nation]
5 - USA (Gauff,Jovic,Navarro,Pegula,Townsend)
2 - RUS (Andreeva,Kalinskaya)
1 - AUT (Potapova)
1 - BLR (Sabalenka)
1 - CHN (Zheng)
1 - CZE (Noskova)
1 - JPN (Osaka)
1 - KAZ (Rybakina)
1 - POL (Swiatek)
1 - ROU (Cirstea)
1 - UKR (Kostyuk)

[by career slam Round-of-16s]
23 - Swiatek
21 - Sabalenka
19 - Gauff
13 - Pegula
12 - Rybakina
10 - Osaka
9 - Andreeva
7 - Cirstea
6 - Kostyuk, Navarro, Zheng
4 - Kalinskaya, Noskova
3 - Jovic, Potapova, Townsend

[w/ consecutive slam Round of 16s]
16 (9) - Sabalenka (last 16 played, 9 con. = DNP Wimb.'24)
3 - Kostyuk
3 - Osaka
2 - Gauff
2 - Jovic
2 - Noskova
2 - Pegula

[w/ multiple career US Round of 16s]
7 - Sabalenka
6 - Swiatek
5 - Gauff, Osaka, Pegula
3 - Townsend, Zheng
2 - Cirstea, Kostyuk, Navarro, Rybakina

[w/ consecutive US Round of 16s]
6 - Sabalenka, Swiatek
5 - Gauff, Pegula
3 (1) - Zheng (w/ 2023-24, DNP '25)
2 - Kostyuk, Osaka, Rybakina, Townsend

[WTA career slam Round of 16s - active]
64...Serena Williams
50...Venus Williams
[30...Victoria Azarenka]
25...Madison Keys
23...Iga Swiatek
22...Elina Svitolina
21...Aryna Sabalenka
19...Coco Gauff
17...Elise Mertens
16...Sloane Stephens
16...Vera Zvonareva
14...Karolina Pliskova
13...Belinda Bencic
13...Jessie Pegula
12...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
12...Elena Rybakina
10...Amanda Anisimova
10...Ons Jabeur
10...Barbora Krejickova
10...Karolina Muchova
10...Naomi Osaka

[WTA slam Round of 16s since 2020 (of 27) - active]
22 - Swiatek
21 - Sabalenka
17 - Gauff
13 - Pegula
12 - Mertens, Rybakina, Svitolina
11 - Keys
10 - Jabeur
9 - M.Andreeva, Krejcikova, Muchova
8 - Anisimova, Badosa, Bencic
7 - [Azarenka]
6 - Kostyuk, Navarro, Paolini, Osaka
6 - Pavlyuchenkova, Vondrousova, Zheng Q.
5 - Cirstea, Kasatkina
5 - Sakkari, Samsonova, Vekic

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - youngest]
18 - Iva Jovic (AO)
18 - Iva Jovic (WI)
18 - Iva Jovic (US)
18 - Mirra Andreeva (AO)
19 - Mirra Andreeva (RG)
19 - Mirra Andreeva (US)
19 - Victoria Mboko (AO)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - oldest]
36 - Sorana Cirstea (US)
36 - Sorana Cirstea (RG)
32 - Jessie Pegula (US)
32 - Jessie Pegula (WI)
31 - Jessie Pegula (AO)
31 - Yulia Putintseva (AO)
31 - Elina Svitolina (RG)
31 - Elina Svitolina (AO)
31 - Madison Keys (WI)
31 - Madison Keys (RG)
30 - Madison Keys (AO)
30 - Elise Mertens (WI)
30 - Elise Mertens (AO)
30 - Barbora Krejcikova (WI)
30 - Jasmine Paolini (WI)
30 - Taylor Townsend (US)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - unseeded]
=AO (3)=
Maddison Inglis (Q), Yulia Putintseva, Wang Xinyu
=RG (4)=
Maya Chwalinska (Q), Diane Parry, Jil Teichmann (PR), Wang Xiyu (Q)
=WI (2)=
Barbora Krejcikova, Ashlyn Krueger (Q)
=US (2)=
Taylor Townsend, Zheng Qinwen (Q)br />

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - 1st-time GS 4th Rd.; w/ MD #]
AO - (3) Inglis (7th), Jovic (6th), Mboko (4th)
RG - (3) Chwalinska (3rd), Parry (21st), Wang Xiyu (16th)
WI - (2) Eala (6th), Krueger (14th)
US - none

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - completed "Career Round of 16 Slam"]
AO - Putintseva (48th slam MD)
RG - Bencic (38th)
WI - Kostyuk (26th), Osaka (34th)
US - Andreeva (15th), Kalinskaya (24th)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - lowest-ranked]
#170 - Jil Teichmann (RG)
#168 - Maddison Inglis (AO)
#148 - Wang Xiyu (RG)
#121 - Zheng Qinwen (US)
#114 - Maya Chwalinska (RG)
#102 - Ashlyn Krueger (WI)
#96 - Taylor Townsend (USA)
#94 - Yulia Putintseva (AO)
#92 - Diane Parry (RG)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s]
4 - Aryna Sabalenka (AO/RG/WI/US)
3 - Mirra Andreeva (AO/RG/US)
3 - Coco Gauff (AO/WI/US)
3 - Iva Jovic (AO/WI/US)
3 - Madison Keys (AO/RG/WI)
3 - Marta Kostyuk (RG/WI/US)
3 - Naomi Osaka (RG/WI/US)
3 - Jessie Pegula (AO/WI/US)
3 - Iga Swiatek (AO/RG/US)
2 - Belinda Bencic (RG/WI)
2 - Sorana Cirstea (RG/US)
2 - Anna Kalinskaya (RG/US)
2 - Elise Mertens (AO/WI)
2 - Anastasia Potapova (RG/US)
2 - Karolina Muchova (AO/WI)
2 - Linda Noskova (WI/US)
2 - Elena Rybakina (AO/US)
2 - Elina Svitolina (AO/RG)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - by nation]
16 = 5/1/5/5 = USA (Gauff,Jovic,Navarro,Pegula,Townsend)
6 = 1/0/4/1 = CZE (Noskova)
6 = 1/3/0/2 = RUS (Andreeva,Kalinskaya)
5 = 1/2/1/1 = UKR (Kostyuk)
4 = 1/1/1/1 = BLR (Sabalenka)
4 = 1/2/0/1 = POL (Swiatek)
3 = 1/1/0/1 = CHN (Zheng)
3 = 0/1/1/1 = JPN (Osaka)
3 = 2/0/0/1 = KAZ (Rybakina)
3 = 0/2/1/0 = SUI
2 = 0/1/0/1 = AUT (Potapova)
2 = 1/0/1/0 = BEL
2 = 0/1/0/1 = ROU (Cirstea)
=
1 AO: AUS,CAN
1 RG: FRA
1 WI: ITA,PHI
1 US: -

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - by region]
19 = (3/6/7/3) - W.Europe/Scandinavia (AUT-CZE-POL)
17 = (3/7/2/5) - Eastern Europe/Russia (BLR-ROU-RUS-UKR)
17 = (6/1/5/5) - North America/Atlantic (USA)
11 = (4/2/2/3) - Asia/Oceania (CHN-JPN-KAZ)
0 = (0/0/0/0) - South America
0 = (0/0/0/0) - Africa/Middle East/Mediterranean






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TOP QUALIFIER: Lucie Havlickova, CZE
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #7 Karolina Muchova/CZE (follows up MX title w/ 4 games lost 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: #31 Andrea Lazaro Garcia/ESP def. Mai Hontama/JPN 5-7/7-6(6)/6-1 - saved 7 MP, four at 5-4 in 2nd set and three more at triple MP at 6-3 in TB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - Cristina Bucsa/ESP def. (Q) Himeno Sakatsume/JPN 7-6(6)/6-7(0)/7-6(10-6) - three tie-breaks; Bucsa served 5-4 w/ 2 MP in 3rd, then again at 6-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Jasmine Paolini/ITA (def. Veronika Erjavec/SLO)
FIRST SEED OUT: #27 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (1r- lost to Kamila Rakhimova/UZB)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Polina Iatcenko/RUS (1st MD), Himeno Sakatsume/JPN (2nd), Lilli Tagger/AUT (2nd)
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Nadia Podoroska/ARG, Mananchaya Sawangkaew/THA (both 2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: D.Semenistaja/LAT (1r-L)
UPSET QUEENS: Spain
REVELATION LADIES: Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS: SUI (0-3 1st Rd.; #12 Bencic hightest seed out; Teichmann w/d)
CRASH & BURN: Madison Keys/USA (3r- blew 5-0 lead in 3rd set vs. Zheng/CHN, had a MP)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Madison Keys/USA (2r- saved 5 MP vs. Bondar/HUN; Bondar 2 MP at 5-2 in 3rd, 3 more at 5-3, then served for again at 5-4; Bondar led 5-3 in MTB, Keys won last 7 points)
IT ("?"): x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Zheng Qinwen/CHN (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Sofia Kenin/USA, Taylah Preston/AUS, Sloane Stephens/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 4r: Gauff, Jovic, Navarro, Pegula, Townsend
COMEBACK: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Iva Jovic/USA
BROADWAY-BOUND: Naomi Osaka (and the nominee for "Best Costume Design" is...)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominee: Kenin d. V.Williams in 2:02 a.m. finish (latest 1r)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
BIG CITY ROLLER: x







All for Day 7. More tomorrow.
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Friday, September 4, 2026

US.6- Here Comes the Ukrainian Again


Inevitably, here comes Marta. Again.









=DAY 6 NOTES=
...so, does Marta Kostyuk's "inevitability" translate to New York? Well, it has so far, at least.

The #11-seeded Ukrainian advanced to her second straight U.S. Open 4th Round on Friday, handling #18 Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3/6-2 as she tries to find her way into what would be her third consecutive major semifinal. She's 13-3 in slam action in 2026.



Kostyuk didn't show up at Flushing Meadows with the same sort of momentum she did Paris (where she reached her maiden major SF), before which she'd gone undefeated on the dirt and won titles in Rouen and Madrid, but she still managed to follow up her Wimbledon SF (in her only grass event) with continued success on a third surface. She reached the Round of 16 in Toronto, then the QF in Cincinnati, adding to her Top 10 win total in the latter with a victory over Mirra Andreeva to give her eight such victories on the year (she'd had nine in her career before this season).

Kostyuk's win today gives her an 8-2 HC mark in recent weeks, and extends her prolonged stretch of consistent results. Since mid-April, Kostyuk has put together a combined, three-surface run of 29-4. She's a round away from another potential (inevitable?) match-up with #1 Aryna Sabalenka, who prevailed 6-3/6-4 today over Kamilla Rakhimova.

Two-time defending champ Sabalenka has now won sixteen straight U.S. Open matches and has officially put together another season of four second week runs in majors. She's reached at least the Round of 16 in her last sixteen slam appearances.

Sabalenka leads her head-to-head with Kostyuk at 5-0, but the two have never met in a hard court major. Kostyuk has yet take a set off Sabalenka in the series, but they've played in multiple super-competitve match-ups over the past 16+ months, with three of their six sets going to tie-breaks.

But for match #6 to happen the two women will have to get past Taylor Townsend and Linda Noskova.

Sabalenka will face the unseeded Townsend, the doubles #2 who is also seeking to complete a Career Doubles Slam at this major, as she and Katerina Siniakova have already won the AO, RG and Wimbledon titles (Siniakova would become the first player to win a Career Slam with two different partners, having already done it with Barbora Krejcikova).

As far as her singles, Townsend's 6-2/6-7(3)/6-3 win today over #15 Diana Shnaider puts her into a second straight U.S. Open Round of 16, the third of her career in the event (she's 0-for-24 in appearances in the other three majors).

Townsend had served for the match at 6-2/5-4, only to see Shnaider roar back to lead 6-5. Townsend denied five SP to force a TB, where Shnaider won 7-3 to get to a 3rd set. But Townsend wasn't to be denied, getting the only break of the final set to lead 5-3 and then serving out the win.



For her part, #6 Noskova was put to a test by #29 Ann Li. The Wimbledon champion led 6-2/5-3 and served for the win at 5-4, only to be forced to a TB. There the Czech led 5-2, then wavered a bit but reached MP at 6-5, only to see Li sweep the final three points for an 8-6 win.

In the 3rd, though, Noskova righted the ship and took home the 6-2/6-7(6)/6-2 victory, her tenth straight in slam play this season. She'll face Kostyuk, the player she beat in the semis at the All-England Club earlier this summer.



...for a bit today, it seemed as if the first of the "four women in question" at this U.S. Open might be shown the door. In a match-up of former finalists, #3 Jessie Pegula fell victim in the early going to a supremely in-form #31 Leylah Fernandez, who bum-rushed the veteran Bannerette in a 6-1 1st set.

The Canadian had a shot to grab the 2nd set by the neck, as well, with a BP on Pegula's serve in game 5, then four more two games later after Fernandez had followed up her inability to get the break in her first attempt by dropping her own serve a game later. Trying to go big on returns, Fernandez missed instead, quite the opposite of what would have likely happened had this match taken place five years ago during her run to the final that included wins over *three* Top 5 opponents before her loss to qualifier Emma Raducanu.

Then, Fernandez would have gotten the break, shot her fist into the air (it was really Connors-like in the moment) and then injected a bit of rocket fuel into her soul as she raced toward the finish line.

But in 2026, which has been quite the challenging season for Fernandez (she came into this event at just 15-22, w/ her Round of 16 in Toronto her first multi-win event since May and just her fourth all season), it all turned out to be a big missed opportunity to push Pegula over the edge when she *might* have been unusually susceptible to a fall.

Fernandez finally got the break in the third game with BP chances in the 2nd, getting things back on serve at 5-4, but it was too little, too late. She'd drop her own serve again (at 15) in the next game as Pegula leveled the match and officially made the turn that saw her finally take control, easing her way down the road to a 1-6/6-4/6-3 win and her fifth straight push into the U.S. Open second week.



Pegula will next get #16 Sorana Cirstea, who ended #19 Jasmine Paolini's run with a 6-3/6-3 win. It's the 36-year old's second-best result in New York (behind only a '23 QF) in 17 MD appearances at Flushing Meadows (and a pair of failed qualifiying runs). The Romanian's eight wins in slam compeitition this season match her career-best collective season results in majors (a dozen years apart, in 2009 and '21).

...meanwhile, after what has been a fabulous season and sterling opening two rounds, #7 Karolina Muchova had what was maybe her most disappointing performance of the entire season in her 3rd Rounder match-up with #26 Emma Navarro, falling to the U.S. #6 by a 6-3/7-5 score.

Muchova had been 16-3 in her last 19 matches at the U.S. Open, including SF-SF-QF results the last three years.



Navarro reached the U.S. SF in 2024, but has had to produce a slow build in '26 after taking a break early this season to deal with ongoing health issues. She's been playing her way back in recent months, winning a title in Strasbourg and reaching the Nottingham final. Her win over Muchova is her third Top 10 victory of '26, as well as her third such win on a third different surface on the year. She joins Coco Gauff and Muchova herself as the only players to notch Top 10 wins on hard court, clay and grass this season.

Navarro has improved her '26 slam results at each turn, going from a 1st Round in Melbourne to the 2nd in Paris, then 3rd in London. She's into the 4th Round in New York, and will next look for more against #21 Anna Kalinskaya.

Under the lights on Armstrong, the Hordette made #9 Elina Svitolina the second Top 10 seed to fall on Friday, winning 6-3/2-6/6-3 to reach her first career U.S. Open 4th Round. The result completes Kalinskaya's Career Round of 16 Slam (in her 24th career major MD).

She's posted all four of her career slam 4th Round+ results since AO24.



...earlier, in the opening match on Ashe, the Williams sisters returned to play their first doubles match as a team at the U.S. Open since 2022.



It turned out to be an entertaining, three-hour affair against Chan Hao-ching (aka Angel) & Maya Joint, the latter the same Aussie who defeated Serena in *singles* in the 1st Round at Wimbledon. After Chan/Joint took the 1st, the Williamses battled back to knot the match as they went to a (full) 3rd set in an attempt to record their first win together since the 2018 Roland Garros (they'd gone 0-3 since then coming into the night).



Chan/Joint took a 4-1 lead in the 3rd before things turned (at a point, in should be noted, where the "MX" event set would have *ended*), as the sisters forced a deciding match tie-break, where they raced to a 5-0 lead. But for the second time in their two doubles matches this summer, after losing 6-0 and 8-2 leads vs. Kostyuk/Stearns in their 1st Round MTB in Cincinnati, the Williamses' lead evaporated as Chan/Joint rallied to win 6-3/6-7(6)/7-6(10-7).



While the whole thing was actually a worthwhile outing, and lived up to the attention it expectedly received, we can now officially move into the middle weekend with all the exhibitions and sideshows behind us, and finally get to the actual tournament.







*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. Taylor Townsend/USA
#11 Marta Kostyuk/UKR vs. #6 Linda Noskova/CZE
#3 Jessie Pegula/USA vs. #16 Sorana Cirstea/ROU
#21 Anna Kalinskaya/RUS vs. #26 Emma Navarro/USA
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik (CZE/CZE) def. #4 Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli (SUI/ITA) 6-3/1-6 [10-6]










...STILL STICKING TO HER GUNS... ON DAY 6:





..."HEY, I KNOW THAT DUDE!"... ON DAY 6:





...THE BALL HAD ALREADY BEEN CALLED OUT, BUT SHE COULD HARDLY RESIST, YOU KNOW?... ON DAY 6:




























kosova-font











kosova-font

**BACKSPIN 2026 DOUBLES PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Siniakova/Zhang, CZE/CHN
AO: Mertens/Zhang, BEL/CHN
FEB: Danilina/Krunic, KAZ/SRB
MAR: Siniakova/Townsend, CZE/USA
1Q...SINIAKOVA/TOWNSEND
APR: Cirstea/Zhang, ROU/CHN
MAY: Siniakova/Townsend, CZE/USA
RG: Siniakova/Townsend, CZE/USA
2Q 1...SINIAKOVA/TOWNSEND
JUN: Dart/Lumsden, GBR/GBR
WI: Guo/Mladenovic, CHN/FRA
2Q 2 (grass)...GUO/MLADENOVIC
JUL: Dart/Lumsden, GBR/GBR
AUG: Siniakova/Zhang, CZE/CHN
[Multiple 2026 Weekly DOUBLES Award Wins]
6...Dabrowski/Stefani, CAN/BRA
4...Siniakova/Townsend, CZE/USA
3...Aoyama/Liang, JPN/TPE
3...Danilina/Krunic, KAZ/SRB
3...Dart/Lumsden, GBR/GBR
3...Siniakova/Zhang, CZE/CHN

**BACKSPIN 2026 DOWN PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Iga Swiatek, POL
AO: Belinda Bencic, SUI
FEB: Errani/Paolini, ITA/ITA
MAR: Iga Swiatek, POL
1Q...SWIATEK
APR: Iga Swiatek, POL
MAY: Jasmine Paolini, ITA
RG: Elena Rybakina, KAZ
2Q 1...SWIATEK
JUN: Elena Rybakina, KAZ
WI: Iga Swiatek, POL
2Q 2 (grass)...SWIATEK
JUL: Cristina Bucsa, ESP
AUG: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
[Multiple 2026 Weekly DOWN Award Wins]
4...Iga Swiatek, POL
3...Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
3...Jasmine Paolini, ITA
3...Elena Rybakina, KAZ
3...Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
3...Liudmila Samsonova, RUS
2...Emma Navarro, USA
2...Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2...Clara Tauson, DEN





kosova-font

Wait, the official US White House website is featuring an arcade style game in which a cartoon white man in a suit chases cartoon black and brown people, eats/destroys them, and changes them into orange-clad inmates!?!

[image or embed]

— Dr. Jenny Morber (@jrmorber.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 12:45 PM









TOP QUALIFIER: Lucie Havlickova, CZE
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #7 Karolina Muchova/CZE (follows up MX title w/ 4 games lost 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: #31 Andrea Lazaro Garcia/ESP def. Mai Hontama/JPN 5-7/7-6(6)/6-1 - saved 7 MP, four at 5-4 in 2nd set and three more at triple MP at 6-3 in TB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - Cristina Bucsa/ESP def. (Q) Himeno Sakatsume/JPN 7-6(6)/6-7(0)/7-6(10-6) - three tie-breaks; Bucsa served 5-4 w/ 2 MP in 3rd, then again at 6-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Jasmine Paolini/ITA (def. Veronika Erjavec/SLO)
FIRST SEED OUT: #27 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (1r- lost to Kamila Rakhimova/UZB)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Polina Iatcenko/RUS (1st MD), Himeno Sakatsume/JPN (2nd), Lilli Tagger/AUT (2nd)
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Nadia Podoroska/ARG, Mananchaya Sawangkaew/THA (both 2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: D.Semenistaja/LAT (1r-L)
UPSET QUEENS: Spain
REVELATION LADIES: Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS: SUI (0-3 1st Rd.; #12 Bencic hightest seed out; Teichmann w/d)
CRASH & BURN: Nominee: V.Williams (1r loss is 15th con. defeat)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Madison Keys/USA (2r- saved 5 MP vs. Bondar/HUN; Bondar 2 MP at 5-2 in 3rd, 3 more at 5-3, then served for again at 5-4; Bondar led 5-3 in MTB, Keys won last 7 points)
IT ("?"): x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Zheng Qinwen/CHN (in 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Sofia Kenin/USA, Taylah Preston/AUS, Sloane Stephens/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 3r: Anisimova, Gauff, Jovic, Keys, Li(L), Navarro(W), Pegula(W), Townsend(W)
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominee: Frodin (17; makes slam debut)
BROADWAY-BOUND: Naomi Osaka (and the nominee for "Best Costume Design" is...)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominee: Kenin d. V.Williams in 2:02 a.m. finish (latest 1r)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
BIG CITY ROLLER: x







All for Day 6. More tomorrow.
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