NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe finally cracked Daniil Medvedev at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, beating the No. 7 seed 7-6(1), 6-4, 7-6(6) on Louis Armstrong Stadium to reach a fourth U.S. Open quarterfinal and set an all-American clash with unseeded Alex Michelsen, Reuters via CNA and Tennis Majors reported.

Tiafoe, the No. 11 seed, had been 1-6 head-to-head against Medvedev before Sunday. The win was his fifth straight against a top-10 opponent and the 17th top-10 victory of his career. He took the first-set tiebreak 7-1 and the third 8-6, with the middle set decided on serve.

Michelsen, 22 and ranked about No. 46, beat Argentina’s No. 27 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4 on Grandstand without dropping a set all tournament — past Federico Cina, Daniel Merida, Brandon Nakashima, and now Etcheverry. It is the Californian’s first Grand Slam quarterfinal, and he is the first man born in 2004 to reach a Slam last eight. Whichever American wins guarantees a U.S. man in the semifinals.

Five American men reached the round of 16 — the most since 1995 — as the host country still chases a first men’s singles champion since Andy Roddick in 2003. The draw opened without injured world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic exited in the first round.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, beat American No. 20 Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium in his comeback tournament after nearly five months out with a wrist injury. “I’m really happy to see where my level is right now,” Alcaraz told reporters, per Reuters via CNA. Paul said Alcaraz felt “at a completely different level.”

On the women’s side, top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka beat American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3 and will face No. 6 Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals. Noskova, the Wimbledon champion this year, outlasted No. 11 Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 for her first U.S. Open quarterfinal.

Night session on Ashe: No. 8 Ben Shelton was scheduled against Stefanos Tsitsipas; no final result was confirmed from primary reports at publish time.

Sources