US Open 2025 Day 8, Pegula, Alcaraz & Djokovic headline action in New York
Jessica Pegula leads American hopes as Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic prepare for blockbuster fourth-round clashes at Flushing Meadows.
Flushing Meadows, August 31 EST: Day Eight at the US Open roared to life with sweat, nerves, and the sort of theater New York tennis has built its legend on. It began with Jessica Pegula pounding her way through a fellow American under the Ashe roof and will end, if the script holds, with Novak Djokovic limping but refusing to yield and Carlos Alcaraz grinning like a man who knows this stage was made for him.
Pegula Finds Her Edge, Li Gets Drowned Out
There are days when a player looks like they’ve rediscovered the playbook they were born with. For Pegula, this morning was one of them. Against Ann Li, she didn’t just win the first set 6-1 she smothered her, breaking serve with the sort of casual ruthlessness that leaves opponents wondering what just hit them. Li tried to hold her ground, but her second serve might as well have been an invitation for Pegula to step in and swing freely.
This is the version of Pegula that Americans have been waiting to see all summer, after months of stumbles and questions about whether she could find her rhythm again. On Friday, she handled Victoria Azarenka like a seasoned pro under pressure. Today, she looked like she had the weight of the crowd at her back, a veteran who knows the second week in New York isn’t given it’s seized.
And here’s the thing she’s seizing it. Pegula isn’t just in this tournament she’s making noise, planting a flag for U.S. tennis in a field where the spotlight is often stolen by louder names.
Alcaraz Steps Back Into His New York Spotlight
If Pegula opened the show, Carlos Alcaraz is set to bring the fireworks. The 22-year-old Spaniard faces Arthur Rinderknech, a tricky Frenchman with a booming serve and little fear. But let’s be real Alcaraz has beaten him three times, including right here in Queens four years ago, and he doesn’t just beat opponents, he overwhelms them.
Friday’s straight-sets win was a reminder of what separates him from nearly everyone else the way he turns a rally into chaos and then makes it look like he planned the whole thing. Yes, there was that brief knee scare, a medical timeout that made fans hold their breath. But by the end, he was sprinting around the baseline as if daring anyone to doubt him.
Tonight, Rinderknech will come with his best. But in Ashe, with the crowd buzzing and the New York air heavy with anticipation, Alcaraz has the look of a man warming up for something bigger maybe another crack at Djokovic, maybe another trophy.
Djokovic Grits His Teeth, Struff Refuses To Blink
And then there’s Novak Djokovic, chasing what no one else in the history of men’s tennis has managed 25 Grand Slams. That number alone should hang over the evening like a storm cloud, but the truth is, it’s not the record that has people talking. It’s the limp. The blister. The winces between points.
Against Cameron Norrie, he looked human, even fragile. But this is Djokovic. He’s been counted out more times than anyone can remember, and every time he digs in, makes it ugly, and drags himself to the finish line.
Jan-Lennard Struff is no pushover. He’s qualified his way here, swinging big and believing bigger, and he’ll smell the blood. But Djokovic owns him, 7-0 in the head-to-head, and if history has taught us anything, it’s that the Serb saves his best stubbornness for nights when people whisper he can’t go on.
Tonight could be one of those nights the kind where Djokovic bends but refuses to break, the kind where the stadium shakes with both disbelief and awe.
The Americans Still Swinging
Elsewhere, the day belongs to hope and hustle. Taylor Fritz will have to muscle through Tomáš Macháč, who’s been playing like a man unbothered by reputation. Taylor Townsend continues to live out the kind of singles run that fans have begged for, this time against Barbora Krejcikova, a former Slam champion who doesn’t hand out freebies.
And Aryna Sabalenka, the defending queen of Queens, will try to turn her raw power into another cold-blooded march forward.
The Turning Point
By the time the lights go out in Flushing Meadows tonight, the quarterfinal map will be sketched in bold ink. Pegula’s statement, Alcaraz’s fire, Djokovic’s grit each moment feels like a hinge the tournament could swing on.
This is the point in the Open where the pretenders pack up their racquets and the contenders start sharpening theirs. And today, under the unforgiving New York sky, the difference is showing.
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A former college-level cricketer and lifelong sports enthusiast, Arun Upadhayay brings the heart of an athlete to the sharp eye of a journalist. With firsthand experience in competitive sports and a deep understanding of team dynamics, Arun covers everything from grassroots tournaments to high-stakes international showdowns. His reporting blends field-level grit with analytical precision, making him a trusted voice for sports fans across New Jersey and beyond.
