Carlos Alcaraz is exactly where he wanted to be entering the second week of the US Open: alive in his title defense, feeling stronger by the match, and set up for a round-of-16 showdown against a red-hot American opponent who has beaten him just twice in eight prior meetings.
The No. 2 seed dispatched Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on Friday at Flushing Meadows, a win that pushed his career US Open record to 27-4 and tied him with Pete Sampras for the third-most match wins by a man in his first six appearances at the tournament in the Open era, behind only John McEnroe (33) and Lleyton Hewitt (29), according to ESPN. It also extended a remarkable run for the Spaniard: 30 wins in his last 31 Grand Slam matches dating back to last year's French Open, with the only defeat coming against Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Wimbledon final.
What made Friday notable wasn't just the scoreline. Alcaraz is playing his first US Open since a right wrist injury forced him out of the French Open and Wimbledon, and he had entered New York uncertain how his body would hold up over best-of-five matches. Three rounds in, he sounds convinced.
"To be honest I'm better than I thought."
— Carlos Alcaraz, defending champion
Paul earns his toughest test yet
Waiting for Alcaraz in the round of 16 is No. 20 seed Tommy Paul, who authored the most dramatic men's result of the tournament's first week. Paul outlasted No. 15 Alexander Bublik 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3, rallying from a two-sets-to-one deficit by breaking Bublik's serve on four consecutive occasions to close out the match. The result matches Paul's career-best showing at his home Slam — a tournament where, remarkably, he has never previously reached the quarterfinals despite quarterfinal-or-better results at each of the other three majors.
Paul has lost five straight meetings with Alcaraz and trails their head-to-head 6-2, but he will have the crowd on his side at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"Obviously the crowd at every tournament loves Carlos, but you know, I am American, so hopefully they can get behind me a little bit."
— Tommy Paul
Alcaraz, for his part, is chasing history of his own. At 23, he is attempting to become the first man to successfully defend a US Open title since Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004 to 2008.
A loaded round of 16
Alcaraz-Paul is only part of a stacked field heading into the second week. No. 7 seed Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 champion, beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and now faces No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, who breezed past No. 22 Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the Friday night session at Louis Armstrong Stadium — where Tiafoe is a perfect 9-0 for his career. It's Tiafoe's sixth trip to the US Open round of 16, tying him for second among active American men behind only Andy Roddick's nine.
Elsewhere, Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the second week in New York for the first time in his career, rallying past No. 18 seed Jiri Lehecka 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-1 — the last major where he had yet to reach the round of 16. He'll face No. 8 seed Ben Shelton, who needed until 2:07 a.m. to close out a 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 win over Denis Shapovalov, the third match of this year's tournament to finish after 2 a.m.
On the women's side, top seed Aryna Sabalenka moved into the second week with a straightforward 6-3, 6-4 win over Kamilla Rakhimova, while unseeded American Taylor Townsend continued her Flushing Meadows magic, upsetting No. 15 seed Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3. It's the third time in her career Townsend has reached a Grand Slam round of 16 — and all three have come at the US Open, where she next meets Sabalenka for a quarterfinal berth.
With the tournament's biggest names still standing and the American contingent producing its deepest run in years, the next 48 hours at Flushing Meadows should decide who reaches the final week with real momentum.
