The most important thing from the night of the last Grand Slam tournament of the year in Flushing Meadows, short and crisp.
Sabalenka only has to fight briefly
Aryna Sabalenka – Polina Kudermetova 7: 6, 6: 2
Aryna Sabalenka has a lot plans in New York. Last year the Belarus was able to win the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, and in 2025 it should also go far for the 27-year-old. A defeat in the second round is not on the plan for the Sabalenka so loud on the square. But: just like in the first round, the world ranking list also needed a little start in her second-round match.
It was said in the opening match against the Swiss Rebeka Masarova in the first set, just 7: 5, the first round was now highly competitive against Polina Kudermetova. In the end, Sabalenka still prevailed in the Tiebreak. What both matches also united: In the second set, the defending champion was really quick. Sabalenka would certainly not mind if things go well from the start from the beginning.
Shelton continues to be harmless
Ben Shelton – Pablo Carreno Busta 6: 4, 6: 2, 6: 4
Two games at the US Open, two victories, no set loss: Ben Shelton, in addition to Taylor Fritz the great hope of the Americans in the men’s competition, continues to be harmless in New York. The left-hander with the crashing surcharge had no too big problems with Pablo Carreno Busta in his second round game in the Night Session in the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
As in his first-round match against Ignacio Buse, Shelton not only did not give up a sentence again, even more: None of the passages were even scarce. The only difference: Shelton gave up a total of nine games against BUS, and there were ten against Carreno Busta. The American will surely be able to get over it.
Struff wins thrillers against Rune
Jan -Lennard Struff – Holger Rune 7: 6, 2: 6, 6: 3, 4: 6, 7: 5
Jan-Lennard Struff is completely surprising in the third round at the US Open. The 35-year-old, who is only in 1444th place in the world rankings and had to torture himself in New York, defeated the number eleven laws Holger Rune in a real five-set thriller with 7: 6, 2: 6, 6: 3, 4: 6, 7: 5 after a real nerve battle.
Crashes, good network game, placed projects: Struff showed his entire repertoire against the favorite Danes, which makes him a dangerous opponent for every player on good days (like this Wednesday). And he proved real nerves. He won the first set in the tiebreak, in the decisive fifth round he secured the decisive break at 5: 5. Shortly afterwards he ended the game with an ass. Next opponent for the Warsteiner: the American Frances Tiafoe. Struff will also be the outsider – but what does that mean?!
Alcaraz makes short process
Carlos Alcaraz – Mattia Bellucci 6: 1, 6: 0, 6: 3
But someone in the Arthur Ashe stage was in a hurry: Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the third round in no time. The Spaniard did not give his Italian opponent M. Bellucci (Mattia, not Monica) a chance. The spectators on the largest court of the facility were offered one-way street tennis par excellence. After just 30 minutes the first set was over, Alcaraz had won the first five games at a time.
In the second round, too, the world ranking runner showed no mercy at all and remained consistently on the accelerator pedal. This sentence also only took just under half an hour. After a more balanced sentence, this one -sided game was finally over after 1:36 hours. For Bellucci, one can only hope that despite this lesson he could at least enjoy the experience and mood in the Arthur Ashe stage. So at least a little bit. The next Italian is now waiting for Alcaraz with Luciano Darderi.
Paolini defeats US Teenia
Ina Jovic – Jasmine Paolini 3: 6, 3: 6
Do you still know what you did at 17 years? It may be longer (at least with the author of these lines). In any case, Ina Jovic was allowed to play her second-round encounter at the US Open in the Louis Armstrong stage with Sweet Seventeen. Not bad, no question. The fact that after this second-round match there will no longer follow a third round match was due to opponent Jasmine Paolini.
The Italian had no desire for another chapter of the US Teenies in New York and was concentrated from the start. Paolini, who finally wanted the big throw after two final participation in Paris and London in 2024, only got the first set and did not let the New York audience throw off the train in the second round. For Paolini, Big Apple continues, teen Jovic was allowed to sniff tennis on the very big stage for the first time. It shouldn’t have been the last time.
Rybakina prevails against top talent
Tereza Valentova – Jelena Rybakina 3: 6, 6: 7
18 years old is Tereza Valentova and one can say with fug and rightly: This Czech should be expected in the future. The youngster was able to win two Challenger tournaments this year, before the US Open she played through the qualification without any major problems and finally won the first round. Also in the second-round match against Jelena Rybakina, the 18-year-old often showed her talent, played powerfully, brave and keen to risk, and brought the favorite Rybakina more than just brooding, especially in the second set.
When Valentova already led 5-2 in the second round, he showed who (still) had more routine from the two. The Rybakina, set to number nine, demonstrated nerve strength, forced the tie -break and then also got the match. The Kazakhin is in the third round, soon we should see Czech Valentova there.
Zverev-Schreck Rinderknech in third round
Arthur Rinderknech – Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6: 4, 3: 6, 2: 6, 6: 2, 6: 3
German tennis fans and Germany’s number one, Alexander Zverev, know the name Arthur Rinderknech only too well since the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon. Since the Frenchman was ranks in the first round in five sets for over two days and gave the German an extremely painful defeat. The South French now also demonstrated that Rinderknech is an expert in five-set matches in New York.
In his second-round match, the Zverev frightened to the number 18 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and once again went over the full distance. After a good three hours, Rinderknech had the Spaniards and is now in round three. The soothing for Alexander Zverev: Rinderknech is on the other side of the Draw, a reunion is excluded (except in the final, well).
Ruud loses against Belgian no-name
Casper Ruud – Raphael Collignon 4: 6, 6: 3, 6: 3, 4: 6, 5: 7
Do you know Raphael Collignon? No? This is how many people are doing. The Belgian, usually on Challenger tournaments, is more of a name for absolute tennis experts. Til today. Because since his second-round match against Casper Ruud, number 12 on the seed list, the current number 107 of the world rankings should know significantly more people. And also Casper Ruud himself-because he surprisingly lost his second-round match against the no-name from Belgium.
Collignon, who was in Wimbledon for the first time this year at a Grand Slam tournament in the main field, got the first sentence, but then it looked as if the game was going to go. Ruud, behind which there is a mixed year 2025, got two and three passages and was actually in rhythm. After the Belgian had trimmed back in sentence four, the match was completely open. At 5: 5, Collignon then won the decisive break. Even though he produced three (!) Double errors in the following, he was allowed to celebrate the greatest success of his career shortly afterwards.
Fritz continues after a bumpy start
Taylor Fritz – Lloyd Harris 4: 6, 7: 6, 6: 2, 6: 2
It doesn’t always run smoothly, not even if, like Taylor Fritz, you are the great hope of the Americans in the men’s competition at the US Open. In the second round, the local hero was dealing with the South African Lloyd Harris and needed something to get at the operating temperature in the Louis Armstrong stage. Fritz lost the first set directly with 4: 6, in the second round he was about to be at the back with 0: 2 sets.
But the American hit himself at the right time, managed to compensate for 1-1 in the Tiebreak and then finally took the handbrake out of his game. The rest of the game is quickly told. Sentence three and set four each went 6: 2 to Fritz, who in the end reached the third round relatively confidently.