Open quarters are U.S. minted with Coco & Co.
Frances Tiafoe celebrates as he plays Rinky Hijikata during the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Sunday. Credit: AP/Jason DeCrow
It is called the U.S. Open, right?
So while you can hear dozens of languages spoken on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, it’s gratifying for fans of U.S. tennis to see five Americans — three men, two women — still alive heading into the quarterfinals.
The United States hasn’t had a men’s champion since Andy Roddick in 2003. At least one American player is guaranteed of making the semifinals; No. 10 Frances Tiafoe will face unseeded Ben Shelton in a star-spangled quarterfinal on Tuesday night.
No. 9 Taylor Fritz also could make the semis, but he would have to win Tuesday afternoon for the first time in eight meetings against second-seeded Novak Djokovic.
The chances look more promising for the first American women’s champion since Sloane Stephens in 2017, thanks to red-hot Coco Gauff.
The seas may be parting for Gauff in her bid to earn her first Grand Slam crown. Top seed Iga Swiatek lost Sunday and No. 17 Madison Keys — whom Stephens beat in the 2017 final — scored a major upset Monday, knocking out third-seeded fellow American Jessica Pegula, 6-1, 6-3.
“It’s just really exciting tennis for America,” Gauff said. “I hope that the fans are excited and happy with it.”
No. 5 seed Ons Jabeur lost on Monday to No. 23 Qinwen Zheng, 6-2, 6-4. That left No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka as the only top 5 seed left going into her match on Monday night, and she defeated No. 13 Daria Kasatkina, 6-1, 6-3.
Swiatek, the defending champion, was upset by No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko. That created a more favorable draw for Gauff, who will face Ostapenko instead of Swiatek on Tuesday at noon in the first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff, the No. 6 seed, has won 15 of her last 16 matches and two titles since a first-round exit at Wimbledon.
Ostapenko accepts that Gauff is going to have the crowd in her corner.
“She’s playing at home,” Ostapenko said. “I mean, it’s normal. The crowd is going to be for sure supporting her a lot. But I think that’s fine because she’s playing at home. Of course, it’s going to be a tough match. But I’m going to focus more on myself and on my game, recovery, practice, and be ready for the next one.”
In another all-American battle, Keys dominated Pegula at Ashe. Keys, 28, is trying to return to her former Open glory.
“I think having success here those years ago, [Pegula] wasn’t playing at the time, Coco wasn’t playing at the time,” Keys said, “so I was usually one of the ones that people were talking about. I think having a lot of success here was really great for me.
“The past couple of years have come in and [I have] not been able to kind of have the run that I wanted to be able to have. This year I just have been trying, honestly, not to have any expectations and just go out and play tennis and just focus on that. Luckily, I’m into the quarterfinals.”
Keys will face No. 9 Marketa Vondrousova. The 2023 Wimbledon champion lost the first set Monday but rallied against unseeded American Peyton Stearns.
Stearns, 21, the 2022 NCAA singles champion from the University of Texas, took the first set in a 7-3 tiebreaker. Vondrousova won the next two, 6-3, 6-2.
On the men’s side, Tiafoe and Shelton will square off at what is certain to be a raucous Ashe Stadium for Tuesday’s second night match.
“This is really why I play my best at the Open every year,” Tiafoe said after his straight-sets victory over Rinky Hijikata on Sunday. “It’s that kind of court, man. Obviously to be named [at] Arthur Ashe, the biggest stadium we have, it’s rocking, New York fans, everyone’s drunk. It’s just great.”
Fritz and Djokovic are scheduled for the second day match at Ashe.
“Novak’s Novak,” Fritz said. “It’s tough. He’s gotten me seven times. There’s no one on tour that has any kind of a record like that against me, so I’m hoping one of these times I’ve got to get him. U.S. Open quarters would be a pretty good time to get him.”
It’s the first time since 2005 that three American men are in the quarterfinals. Back then, it was Andre Agassi, James Blake and Robby Ginepri. Agassi lost to Roger Federer in the final.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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