A day of contrasting fortunes at the US Open in New York saw Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek progress safely to the fourth round while several fellow Americans — including past finalists Taylor Fritz, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys — were swept out in a series of surprise third-round defeats.
Gauff, the 2023 champion and fourth seed, reached the second week of the tournament for the fifth consecutive year with a composed 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's Cristina Bucsa. Despite an inconsistent serve that kept her first-ball percentage around 50 percent, Gauff controlled the tempo from the baseline, trading deep backhand strikes and firing 15 winners. She fell behind 1-3 in the first set before reeling off five straight games, and never allowed Bucsa to seize momentum in the second. She will next face compatriot Iva Jovic, the 18-year-old who came through a gruelling three-hour battle against her close friend Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, winning 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 to reach the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the third time this season. Jovic, ranked a career-high 14th, trailed 2-4 in the deciding set before fighting back — a performance all the more remarkable given the emotional weight of playing a friend.
World number eight Swiatek, the former world number one from Poland, was pushed hard by Czech Marie Bouzková but advanced 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3). Bouzková defended brilliantly and held three set points at 6-5 in the second set, but could not convert, and Swiatek's heavier ball-striking proved decisive in both tiebreaks. She next faces China's Zheng Qinwen, who produced one of the day's most dramatic results by overturning a 0-5 deficit in the third set to eliminate American Madison Keys, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-5. Naomi Osaka, the twice-former US Open champion from Japan, also advanced despite suffering an Achilles complaint, battling past Belgium's Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to set up a fourth-round clash with Elena Rybakina.
The American men fared no better than their women counterparts. Fritz, the 2024 finalist and ninth seed, squandered a two-set lead against Argentina's Francisco Cerúndolo before losing 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, as Cerúndolo's returning steadily improved across the match. Fifth seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy was also eliminated, falling to 21-year-old Belgian Alexander Blockx in four sets, with Cobolli winning just four points in a calamitous third set.
The exits of Fritz, Keys and Anisimova — the latter beaten by Anastasia Potapova despite leading in the second set on multiple occasions — underscore how quickly US Open draws can thin out even for home favourites. Gauff, ever measured in her public remarks, acknowledged the difficult day while offering perspective: "They all played really high-quality level opponents. It's just tennis. Some days just don't go your way."