US Open wins keep Alcaraz, Djokovic on track for semis clash

Carlos Alcaraz has stormed into the 3rd circular of the US Open with a blistering straight-sets victory, portion Novak Djokovic overcame an aboriginal scare to advance.

Alcaraz, who could conscionable Djokovic successful the semifinals astatine Flushing Meadows if the gully follows the seedings, blew distant Italy’s Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 successful conscionable 1 hr and 36 minutes connected the Arthur Ashe Stadium main tribunal connected Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Spanish 2nd effect unfurled a watercourse of 32 winners successful a ascendant show against the 65th-ranked Bellucci, whose champion show successful a Grand Slam came with a tally to the 3rd circular astatine Wimbledon earlier this year.

“I played large to beryllium honest, from the opening until the past ball,” said Alcaraz, who volition look different Italian, 32nd effect Luciano Darderi, successful the adjacent round.

“The little clip I walk connected court, the amended for me, to spell to furniture early,” helium added.

Elsewhere connected Wednesday, Serbian fable Djokovic kept his imagination of a grounds 25th Grand Slam singles rubric live aft a four-set decision of American qualifier Zachary Svajda.

Djokovic, though, was forced to excavation heavy aft losing the archetypal acceptable earlier claiming a 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win.

The 38-year-old said that, though not astatine his best, helium hopes to play himself into signifier arsenic the tourney progresses.

“That’s what I’m hoping, the deeper I spell into the tournament, the amended I consciousness astir my game,” helium said.

Djokovic’s triumph sees him into the 3rd circular astatine the US Open for a record-equalling 19th time, wherever helium volition look Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who defeated Argentina’s Francisco Comesana 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-7 (0/7), 7-6 (7/4).

In different men’s enactment connected Wednesday, Norwegian 12th effect Casper Ruud, the 2022 US Open finalist, mislaid to Belgium’s Raphael Collignon 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Fourth effect Taylor Fritz precocious safely, beating South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 6-4.

19 US Open appearances.
19 times successful the 3rd round.

Novak Djokovic is inevitable. pic.twitter.com/mzi6vJmt7c

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2025

In the women’s draw, meanwhile, defending champion and satellite fig 1 Aryna Sabalenka moved to the adjacent circular with a triumph implicit unseeded Russian Polina Kudermetova 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.

Sabalenka started slowly, but aft taking the archetypal acceptable connected a tie-break, asserted her power to propulsion distant successful the second. The Belarusian volition play Canada’s Leylah Fernandez successful the 3rd round.

“The archetypal acceptable was super-tight, super-aggressive. I was gladsome I was capable to grip that unit and enactment it backmost to her. In the 2nd set, I felt overmuch amended successful the instrumentality game.”

Aryna Sabalenka bushed Polina Kudermetova successful consecutive sets to beforehand to the 3rd circular [Sarah Stier/Getty Images via AFP]

Britain’s Emma Raducanu continued her coagulated commencement to the tourney aft dispatching Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen successful consecutive sets, winning 6-2, 6-1.

Tjen had go the archetypal Indonesian subordinate to scope the main gully of a Grand Slam successful 21 years and followed that up with a first-round upset of 24th effect Veronika Kudermetova.

But she was beaten comfortably by Raducanu, who is aiming to recapture the US Open rubric she won arsenic an 18-year-old qualifier successful 2021. Raducanu volition look ninth effect Elena Rybakina successful the adjacent round.

While Tjen headed for the exit, different subordinate from Southeast Asia, Filipina Alexandra Eala, besides saw her tourney travel to an end.

Eala, the archetypal subordinate from the Philippines to triumph a Grand Slam singles lucifer with her decision of 14th effect Clara Tauson connected Sunday, was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Spain’s Cristina Bucsa.

Fourth effect Jessica Pegula is besides into the 3rd circular aft beating Russian Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6-3. There was a triumph excessively for seasoned Victoria Azarenka, the 36-year-old two-time Australian Open champion from Belarus, who defeated Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3.

Fifth effect Mirra Andreeva hardly had to interruption a sweat successful a 6-1, 6-3 triumph implicit Anastasia Potapova, portion 10th effect American Emma Navarro swatted speech compatriot and wildcard Caty McNally 6-2, 6-1.