US Open 2025: Feature Matches from Days 8, 9, 10

Labor Day Weekend is the midpoint of the US Open. At last year’s Open, a whole bunch of American players on both the men’s and women’s side performed very well and ended the year ranked in the top 20. Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz had particularly good runs, both making it to the final. So it was the prevailing theory that the future for the American contingent looked very bright. Odds-makers could reasonably speculate that there would be a man and woman representative from the USA playing late into the second week of any of the majors, and possibly competing for the title.

Above: A relatively compact backswing provides Fritz with short preparation for making a shot. Photo credit: pechterphotos.com.

That is what panned out in the last year and as often is the case, the women have outperformed the men: Madison Keys won the Australian Open, Coco Gauff the French, and while she may have crashed in the last match of the tournament, American Amanda Anisimova made it to the final at Wimbledon. The performance on the men’s side has not attained that level, but still been quite respectable; and of course it has to be noted that while the women do face fierce competition in the form of players such as Sabalenka and Swiatek, they have not had to compete against generational talents like Sinner and Alcaraz.

With that lead-in, let’s take a look back at Sunday matches, Day 8 of the 2025 US Open, where two Americans played back-to-back on Armstrong. While not gamblers, we’d be willing to bet that never before have there been two players from the same country playing on the same court, one-after-the-other in the 4th round of a Slam with the same first name — one on the women’s side, one on the men’s. Such was the case with Taylor Townsend being immediately followed by Taylor Fritz.

The first was a matchup featuring #134 ranked Floridian Taylor Townsend facing off against Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, currently ranked #62.

There was a great deal of fanfare leading into the match, largely due to a flare-up at the end of Townsend’s 2nd round match vs. Latvian Jelena Ostapenko. During the traditional handshake at the net Ostapenko insulted Townsend, saying she had no class and was uneducated…

Above: Townsend showed better movement at the Open than previously seen in her singles play. Photo credit: pechterphotos.com.

After getting by Ostapenko in dramatic fashion, Townsend defeated #5 Mirra Andreeva in the 3rd round, 7-5, 6-2. With momentum and crowd support, her 4th round match against Krejcikova proved a thriller. Townsend squandered seven match points in a tense second-set tiebreak, eventually losing 1-6, 7-6 (15-13), 6-3. The handshake went smoothly, and Townsend left with renewed respect as a singles threat.

Only 20 minutes later, the second Taylor of the day took the court: #4 Taylor Fritz vs. #22 Tomas Machac. Fritz delivered a straight-set win, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, showcasing compact strokes and all-court strength. He remained the last American man left in the draw.

Day 9: Osaka vs. Gauff

#23 Naomi Osaka dispatched #3 seed Coco Gauff, 6-3, 6-2. Gauff had shown flashes of form in her third-round win over Magdalena Frech, 6-3, 6-1, but Osaka’s momentum carried her through. ESPN coverage highlighted their mentor-mentee dynamic, though the reality is more mutual respect than close ties. Osaka’s movement and confidence looked renewed, helping her advance.

Day 10: Fritz vs. Djokovic

The marquee matchup saw America’s last hope, Taylor Fritz, against 24-time Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Despite Fritz’s strong showing in the previous round, Djokovic was seeded #7 yet played like #1. He broke immediately and held firm, saving seven break points. His “lockdown mode” defense and tactical aggression proved decisive.

Above: Djokovic serves in pursuit of his 25th Slam at this year's US Open. Photo credit: pechterphotos.com.

Djokovic defeated Fritz 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. Fritz fought hard but could not match Novak’s consistency. The loss underscored Djokovic’s ability to adapt his game at age 38 while conserving energy for later rounds.

Update and Outlook

On the women’s side, Jessica Pegula beat Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-3 to set up a semifinal rematch with Aryna Sabalenka. Naomi Osaka advanced past Karolina Muchova, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), to face Amanda Anisimova in the other semi.

Djokovic now faces Carlos Alcaraz, who has yet to drop a set. Whether Novak can recharge to full strength in three days will determine if he can add Slam title #25 to his record haul.

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Written by Florida Tennis contributor Todd Pechter. Photo credit: pechterphotos.com.