Key events
YO COUSIN!
Auger-Aliassime’s forehand down the line has been joyous to watch. He powers his way to 15-30, but Rublev launches a recovery to hold. Auger-Aliassime leads 7-5, 1-1.
Rublev has a break point in the first game of the second set but Auger-Aliassime leaps at the net to volley and set up deuce. A second break point is saved too, and Auger-Aliassime’s defence comes to the fore in a 23-shot rally that goes his way. He manages to hold, extending his lead to 7-5, 1-0.
Alex de Minaur (8) beats Leandro Riedi 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
De Minaur prevails after an hour and a half, strolling into the last eight. It brings an end to a fine showing by Riedi, who advanced through qualifying to beat the 19th seed Francisco Cerundolo in the second round.
Auger-Aliassime sees an opportunity at 15-30, advancing to the net to sweep a forehand winner and set up two set points. He’s looked so powerful in the last 15 minutes … but he just loses his radar, two forehands going wrong to prompt deuce. A forehand down the line ends a lengthy rally to set up a third set point … and Auger-Aliassime is undone by a second serve that narrowly remains in bounds. But here comes a fourth chance … and it’s taken! Auger-Aliassime peppers the forehands from the backhand corner and is up to the net to take the first set 7-5. Rublev is not a happy chap as he leaves the court for a breather.
Auger-Aliassime is on the attack with his serve, two aces in the game setting him up for a 40-30 lead. A wide forehand from Rublev gives the Canadian a 6-5 lead in the first set.
Elsewhere, De Minaur has taken the second set against Riedi to lead 6-3, 6-2.
A love hold from Auger-Aliassime put him up 5-4 – he’s won 10 points in a row!
Auger-Aliassime is a break down but his serve is still in decent order as he holds. Rublev leads 4-3 in the first set but Auger-Aliassime has an opening at 0-30 after Rublev goes way wide with a backhand. Auger-Aliassime then thumps a forehand return on the second serve down the line to set up three break points. Rublev nets a backhand and that is a quickfire game from Auger-Aliassime, levelling up at 4-4 in the first set.
De Minaur is racing away, up 5-0 in the second set against Riedi and about to serve. Riedi, ranked 435 in the world, has had a fine run to this point but … oh, wait – a spanking forehand sets up a second break point and he takes it, pumping the right fist in relief, a game finally on the board. Nonetheless, De Minaur leads 6-3, 5-1.
Rublev has a break point … and he takes it after Auger-Aliassime goes long with a backhand. Rublev has a 7-1 record against Auger-Aliassime – they last met at Hamburg in May – and he’s up 2-1 in the first set.
De Minaur is looking rather comfortable over on Louis Armstrong. He’s already 3-0 up in the second set against Riedi, breaking the Swiss player’s serve twice. An overhead smash seals the second break.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is here after trumping the third seed Alexander Zverev – this is his first time in the fourth round of the US Open since his run to the semis in 2021. He thunders an ace down to hold his serve and go 1-0 up in the first set against Andrey Rublev.
Alex de Minaur takes the first set against Leandro Riedi 6-4, secured after Riedi goes long with a blasted forehand. The Australian has a peculiar record at the slams, reaching the quarter-finals of all four tournaments. But he’s still waiting for his first semi-final appearance.
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to another week at Flushing Meadows. We’ve got more last-16 action in the singles, with eighth seed Alex de Minaur already up and running on Louis Armstrong, facing the Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi. Iga Swiatek’s clash with Ekaterina Alexandrova will follow.
Felix Auger-Aliassime will open up on Arthur Ashe against Andrey Rublev, but the real eye-catcher is Naomi Osaka’s meeting with Coco Gauff, their first match at a grand slam since the 2020 Australian Open, when a 15-year-old Gauff shocked the defending champion. Here’s to some more drama today.
