Flushing Meadows has delivered an extraordinary opening week. In eight breathless days, the 2025 US Open has produced stunning upsets, heartbreaking exits and one of the most compelling comebacks in recent Grand Slam history. As the quarterfinals begin on Tuesday, September 2, here is everything that mattered from a first week that tore up the script.
The headline shock came on Day 1. Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 champion, was dumped out by Benjamin Bonzi in five brutal sets. The Frenchman, who had beaten Medvedev at this same tournament before, saved a match point in the third set before surging to victory. For Medvedev, it was the latest chapter in what has become a grim 2025 season. After second-round and first-round exits at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros respectively, the former world No. 1 has now fallen outside the top 10 for the first time since early 2023. The man who once called himself the king of hard courts did not even survive the first day of play in New York.
Alexander Zverev's exit was just as jarring. The third seed, still chasing that elusive first major title, was beaten in the third round by Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian produced a masterclass to win 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4, claiming his first career victory over a top-five player at a Slam. Zverev became the first top-three player eliminated in the opening week of consecutive Grand Slams since Rafael Nadal in 2005. "I have to do better next year," the German said flatly in his post-match press conference. It was hard to disagree.
Ben Shelton's tournament ended in the cruelest fashion imaginable. The sixth seed and crowd favorite, riding high after his historic Masters 1000 title in Toronto, retired in the third round against Adrian Mannarino with a shoulder injury. After winning a dramatic third set, Shelton felt a searing pain in his left shoulder during the opening game of the fourth. He described it afterward as "the worst pain I've ever felt." The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, already dreaming of a blockbuster quarterfinal between Shelton and Alcaraz, fell silent. At 22, Shelton handled the situation with remarkable maturity, telling reporters he was "grateful" for his season despite the devastating exit. The projected Shelton-Alcaraz quarter, which had been one of the most anticipated matchups of the tournament, vanished in an instant.
has been imperious. The second seed has not dropped a set through four rounds, opening with a controlled win over Reilly Opelka (6-4, 7-5, 6-4) and gliding through his section of the draw without apparent stress. Fresh off his Cincinnati title, the Spaniard is playing with the calm authority of a man who knows he is the best player in the world right now. His quarterfinal against Jiri Lehecka represents a step up in opposition, but on current form, Alcaraz looks like a man on a mission to reclaim the trophy he first won in 2022.
silenced the skeptics who wondered whether his Cincinnati illness would derail his title defense. The world No. 1 was far from his brilliant best in the early rounds, but he managed his matches intelligently and improved with each outing. His fourth-round demolition of Alexander Bublik, in which he dropped just three games, suggested the defending champion is hitting his stride at exactly the right time. His quarterfinal is an all-Italian affair against , the Olympic bronze medalist, marking the first time two Italian men have met in a Grand Slam quarterfinal in the Open Era. The draw has been kind to Sinner through the first week, but the challenges are about to get significantly tougher.
, seeded seventh at 38 years old, has done what Djokovic always does: started slowly, raised questions, then gradually turned the dial. A workmanlike first-round win over Learner Tien (6-1, 7-6, 6-2) was followed by a four-set battle against Cameron Norrie that produced flashes of vintage tennis. By the fourth round, Djokovic was dismantling Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, looking every inch the four-time champion. His quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz is the pick of the round. Fritz, the 2024 finalist, beat Tomas Machac comfortably in the fourth round (6-4, 6-3, 6-3) and will have a raucous home crowd behind him. But Djokovic under the lights at Arthur Ashe is a different proposition entirely. The Serbian has lost just one night session match at the US Open in his entire career.
Felix Auger-Aliassime deserves special attention. The 25th seed has been the breakout story of the men's draw, backing up his Zverev upset by reaching the quarterfinals where he will face eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur. The Canadian, who seemed to be drifting down the rankings after a difficult stretch, has rediscovered his best tennis at the perfect moment. If he can get past De Minaur, a semifinal against Sinner awaits. That is a tantalizing prospect for a player who has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The women's draw produced its own seismic moment in the fourth round when Naomi Osaka dismantled defending champion Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2. It was a performance that transported spectators back to 2018 and 2020, when Osaka was the most dominant hard-court player in women's tennis. The former world No. 1 suffocated Gauff with her power serving and aggressive return position, never allowing the American to settle into the baseline rallies where she is most comfortable. Gauff admitted she "broke down" to her team afterward. For Osaka, who has endured years of personal struggles, mental health challenges and an uneven comeback from maternity leave, the victory was profoundly significant.
Osaka now faces Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals, and there is every reason to believe this run has more chapters to come. At 27, she appears to have finally rediscovered the balance and clarity that eluded her since returning from maternity leave. When her serve and forehand are firing with confidence behind them, Osaka remains one of the most dangerous players in the game. The Gauff victory may prove to be the spark that reignites a career that once looked destined for sustained greatness.
Amanda Anisimova has been the other revelation of the women's draw. The American, who reached the Wimbledon final this summer only to lose 6-0, 6-0 to Iga Swiatek, has channeled that painful experience into a determined run through the New York draw. She faces Swiatek in the quarterfinals in what amounts to a rematch with enormous psychological stakes. Can Anisimova prove that Wimbledon was an aberration? Or will Swiatek confirm her dominance? The answer could define both players' seasons.
Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed and defending champion, has cruised through the first week without alarm. The Belarusian is bidding to become the first woman to successfully defend the US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014, and nothing in her opening four matches suggests she will be denied. Her quarterfinal against Marketa Vondrousova, who benefited from upsets elsewhere in the draw to reach this stage, looks manageable on paper.
Jessica Pegula has been quietly efficient in reaching the quarterfinals, where she faces Barbora Krejcikova. The 31-year-old American is still searching for her first Grand Slam title, and the New York crowd will be behind her. Krejcikova, the 2021 Wimbledon champion, came through a dramatic three-set win over Taylor Townsend to earn her spot in the last eight.
The quarterfinal lineup tells the story of this tournament so far. In the men's draw: Lehecka vs. Alcaraz, Djokovic vs. Fritz, Sinner vs. Musetti, and De Minaur vs. Auger-Aliassime. In the women's: Sabalenka vs. Vondrousova, Swiatek vs. Anisimova, Osaka vs. Muchova, and Pegula vs. Krejcikova.
The question hanging over Flushing Meadows is whether we will finally get the Sinner-Alcaraz final that the tennis world craves. The two men are in opposite halves and have been on a collision course all fortnight. If both hold serve through their respective quarters and semifinals, it would be their third consecutive Grand Slam final following Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. Alcaraz, yet to drop a set, is the marginal favorite. But this first week has been a masterclass in unpredictability. Medvedev, Zverev and Shelton were all supposed to be factors deep into the second week. None of them made it past Day 6.
The second week of this US Open promises to be absolutely electric.
