In yet another drama-packed day at the US Open, the bottom half of the men's and women's singles draws got the ball rolling for round three action.
Men's Singles Results: Alexei Popyrin [28] def. Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 Alexander Zverev [4] def. Tomás Martín Etcheverry 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-3
Andrey Rublev [6] def. Jiri Lehecka [32] 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
Casper Ruud [8] def. Juncheng Shang 6-7(1), 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-1
Grigor Dimitrov [9] def. Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
Taylor Fritz [12] def. Francisco Comesana 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Frances Tiafoe [13] def. Ben Shelton [20] 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3
Brandon Nakashima def. Lorenzo Musetti [18] 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)
Although it didn't eclipse the shock result witnessed yesterday between Carlos Alcaraz and Botic van de Zandschulp, defending champion Novak Djokovic's loss against Australia's Alexei Popyrin certainly comes close.
Seeded for the first time at a Grand Slam, Popyrin played the match of his life to secure a memorable victory under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Fourth seed and French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev survived an early scare against Argentina's Tomás Martín Etcheverry to rally from a set down and reach the second week of a major again.
Andrey Rublev, Grigor Dimitrov and Taylor Fritz all progressed to the round of 16 comfortably in straight sets, but former US Open finalist Casper Ruud was on the verge of exiting the tournament after trailing two sets against 19-year-old talent Juncheng Shang until tiring legs from the latter helped Ruud pull out a miracle.
An all-American clash between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton lived up to the hype as the pair played out a five-set thriller.
Tiafoe, a semi-finalist at the 2022 US Open, won 76 per cent of points behind his first serve to claw his way back from a two-set to one deficit - now ready to meet Popyrin in the next round.
Women's Singles Results:
Aryna Sabalenka [2] def. Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6, 6-1, 6-2
Coco Gauff [3] def. Elina Svitolina [27] 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Qinwen Zheng [7] def. Jule Niemeier 6-2, 6-1
Emma Navarro [13] def. Marta Kostyuk [19] 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Y.F. Wang def. Victoria Azarenka [20] 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Elise Mertens def. Madison Keys [14] 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4
Donna Vekić [24] def. Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-4
Paula Badosa [26] def. Elena-Gabriela Ruse 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(8)
Stepping out on court just before midnight, second seed Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova commenced at 12:08am local time to set the record for the latest start to a match in US Open history.
A tough opening set was quickly brushed to the side as Sabalenka quickly found her range to drop three games en route to a hard-fought victory.
Paula Badosa and reigning champion Coco Gauff also came back from a one-set deficit, but a player who was not expected to do so was Belgium's Elise Mertens who knocked out 2017 finalist Madison Keys on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Another American hopeful, Peyton Stearns, could not find the answers against an in-from Donna Vekić, fresh from winning silver for Croatia at the Paris Olympics.
Aussie Doubles Results:
Men's Doubles:
Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna [2] def. Roberto Carballés Baena/Federico Coria 6-2, 6-4
Max Purcell (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) [7] def. John-Patrick Smih (AUS)/Andreas Mies 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3
The partnership containing Matt Ebden and Rohan Bopanna continues to thrive, dropping six games to execute a straight-forward result without facing a break point opportunity for the entire match.
Seventh seeds Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson did it the hard way, picking themselves up from a shaky opening set to edge over the finish line.
Mixed Doubles:
Ellen Perez (AUS)/Sander Gillé def. Lyudmyla Kichenok/Sadio Doumbia 5-7, 7-6(8), 10-3
Kaylan Bigun/Iva Jović def. Max Purcell (AUS)/Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-4
Aussie Olympian Ellen Perez and partner Sander Gillé dramatically saved two match points in the second set tiebreak to win a three-set epic in the opening round of mixed doubles action.
Meanwhile, Max Purcell couldn't replicate his doubles victory with Jordan Thompson as he suffered a straight sets defeat alongside singles specialist Dayana Yastremska.
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