NEW YORK (AP) — The fourth round of the U.S. Open wraps up Monday, with Carlos Alcaraz, Aryana Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev all in action.
Alcaraz has seemed almost unstoppable so far in his title defense run at Flushing Meadows, and 61st-ranked Italian Matteo Arnaldi will be the next to face that challenge in an afternoon match with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed from Belarus who won the Australian Open and can overtake Iga Swiatek at No. 1 in the WTA rankings depending on her U.S. Open showing, faces 13th-seeded Daria Kasatkina. And Medvedev, the third-seeded man, goes up against No. 13 Alex de Minaur.
Also on the Labor Day schedule is an intriguing matchup of American women, third-seeded Jessica Pegula against No . 17 Madison Keys.
HOW TO WATCH THE U.S. OPEN ON TV— In the U.S.: ESPN
— Other countries are listed here.
THE SINGLES SCHEDULE— Monday: Fourth Round (Women and Men)
— Tuesday-Wednesday: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)
— Thursday: Women’s Semifinals
— Friday: Men’s Semifinals
— Sept. 9: Women’s Final
— Sept. 10: Men’s Final
WHEN ARE MONDAY'S MATCHES?Play on most courts begins at 11 a.m. EDT. That includes No. 9 Marketa Vondrousova in Louis Amstrong Stadium against American Peyton Stearns. The first match in Arthur Ashe Stadium is at noon, with Pegula against Keys, followed by Alcaraz and Arnaldi. Other dayside matches in Armstrong include No. 8 Andrey Rublev of Russia against Jack Draper of Britain, and fifth-seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia against Qinwen Zheng of China. And not before 4 p.m. in Armstrong, Medvedev and De Minaur.
Sabalenka and Kasatkina begin the night session in Ashe at 7 p.m., followed by sixth-seeded Italian Jannik Sinner against No. 12 Alexander Zverev of Germany.
WHAT WERE SATURDAY'S KEY RESULTS?Women’s singles: No 6. Coco Gauff beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; No. 10 Karolina Muchova beat Wang Xinyu 6-3, 5-7, 6-1; No. 30 Sorana Cirstea beat 15th-seeded Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-3.
Men’s singles: No. 10 Frances Tiafoe beat Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-1, 6-4; Ben Shelton beat No. 14 Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
BETTING GUIDEAlcaraz is a solid favorite to beat Arnaldi, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, with the Spaniard listed at minus-4500 to plus-1600 for the Italian. Rublev, at minus-280, is favored against Draper, at plus 225. Medvedev, at minus-250, is favored to beat de Minaur at plus-202. Sinner is favored to beat Zverev, with the Italian at minus-160 to the German’s plus-132.
On the women’s side, Sabelenka, at minus-315, is favored over Kasatkina’s plus-250. And Pegula, at minus-184, is favored to beat Keys, at plus-152.
GET CAUGHT UPWhat to read about the U.S. Open:
— US Open players differ on how to approach the stress of a match point. Swing away or stay safe?
— The US Open now lets coaches talk to players. The players are yelling back
— ‘ Like Snoop Dogg’s living room’: Smell of pot wafts over notorious U.S. Open court
— The US Open is the noisiest Grand Slam tournament thanks to planes, trains, music and, yes, fans
— In its initial use, new US Open video review system fails when chair umpire’s tablet malfunctions
TRY A TENNIS QUIZTry your hand at the AP’s U.S. Open quiz.
STATS TO KNOW149 mph (240 kph) — Speed of the fastest serves of the tournament, both hit by American Ben Shelton in his victory over countryman Tommy Paul.
14 — Number of years between Grand Slam quarterfinals appearances for 33-year-old Romanian Sorana Cirstea. She did it at the 2009 French Open before sealing her spot in this year’s U.S. Open by beating No. 15 Belinda Bencic.
WORDS TO KNOW“Sometimes I tell them to chill a little bit because I like to think and figure out matches my own way.” —Coco Gauff on why she told coach Brad Gilbert to “please stop” and “stop talking” from a courtside box during her victory over Caroline Wozniacki to reach the quarterfinals.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
