Zverev Targets US Open Quarter-Final as Osaka Faces Rybakina

Alexander Zverev will seek a place in the US Open quarter-finals when he faces Luciano Darderi on Monday, leading a Day 9 programme that also includes Naomi Osaka’s meeting with Elena Rybakina.

The top-seeded Zverev has already been tested in New York, coming through two marathon five-set matches at the start of his campaign before recording a more comfortable win over Alejandro Tabilo. His fourth-round contest with the 21st-seeded Italian Darderi will again occupy the night-session spotlight on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The match matters because Zverev has the opportunity to build on the smoother progress he made in the previous round after his demanding opening matches. Darderi stands between the French Open champion and a place in the last eight, with the tournament moving deeper into its second week.

Zverev leads a busy fourth-round schedule

Zverev’s match is one of several notable contests on the Day 9 slate. In the women’s draw, second-ranked Rybakina takes on 13th-seeded Osaka in a meeting that carries ranking implications as well as Grand Slam pedigree.

Rybakina leads their head-to-head record 1-0 and has not dropped a set in the tournament. The reigning Australian Open champion needs to reach the semi-finals to dislodge Aryna Sabalenka from the world number one position, although Rybakina has played down discussion of the ranking.

Osaka arrives with two US Open titles among her four Grand Slam singles trophies and has continued to make progress since returning to the tour following an extended maternity leave. Her season has included a third-round run at the Australian Open, a last-16 appearance at Roland Garros and a best-ever Wimbledon quarter-final, where she beat Sabalenka.

At this US Open, Osaka has won matches against Katerina Siniakova and Elise Mertens, but the source noted mid-match dips in both victories. Facing Rybakina, Osaka said she knows she must produce a high level against one of the best players in the world.

Cerundolo and Blockx seek another breakthrough

Francisco Cerundolo and Alexander Blockx meet after each produced an upset in the third round. Twenty-fourth seed Cerundolo rallied from two sets down to defeat ninth-seeded American Taylor Fritz, extending his best run at Flushing Meadows. The Argentine is also identified as the highest-ranked Latin American player on the ATP Tour.

Blockx, the 28th seed, defeated fifth-seeded French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli in four sets. The 21-year-old Belgian is seeded at a major for the first time and has reached the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time. He was ranked 116th in the world 12 months ago and had targeted making the second week before the tournament began.

Blockx leads their head-to-head 1-0 after beating Cerundolo at the clay-court Madrid Masters this year. He noted that the conditions are now completely different, while both players enter the match confident and in good form.

Swiatek faces Zheng after dramatic comeback

The other highlighted women’s fourth-round match pits eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek against qualifier Zheng Qinwen. Swiatek owns a 7-1 head-to-head advantage, but Zheng’s only victory came in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics, where Zheng went on to win singles gold.

Zheng’s return from elbow surgery last year took longer than expected, causing her ranking to fall to the point where she had to qualify for the US Open. She arrives for the Swiatek contest after a dramatic third-round recovery from 0-5 down in the final set to beat Madison Keys in three sets.

Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, has strengthened her form in the build-up to New York by winning her first title of the year in Toronto. Zheng now faces a major obstacle as she attempts to continue her run, with the last qualifier to reach the US Open women’s singles fourth round, Emma Raducanu, having gone on to lift the title in 2021.