US Open 2024 is well and fully underway, with the tournament’s first four days already producing some moments of excitement and drama. The third round of the singles tournaments at the New York Major will commence on August 30.
With most big names progressing safely through the opening couple of rounds, there have been some major casualties too, Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina the biggest so far. The initial famous five couples in the main draw have also seen their numbers reduced, with quite a few being shown the exit door already.
On that note, let’s take a look at how they’ve fared at the US Open so far and how many of them have made it successfully through to the third round.
#5 Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils
Only one of the two has successfully advanced to the third round, while the other faced a disappointing second-round defeat.
27th seed Elina Svitolina kicked off her New York campaign in New York with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory against Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round. She made it through her second-round encounter against compatriot Anhelina Kalinina, as she dropped just 3 games en route to a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing.
Svitolina will next face third seed and home favorite Coco Gauff on Friday, August 30. Their head-to-head record is currently tied at 1-1, with Gauff winning in three sets during their most recent encounter at the ASB Classic final in Auckland earlier this year.
Gael Monfils, meanwhile, began his campaign with a 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Diego Schwartzman, who was playing in his final US Open. However, in the following round, eighth seed Casper Ruud defeated Monfils in four sets, 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3).
#4 Anastasia Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko
Anastasia Potapova and her boyfriend Alexander Shevchenko both got off to good starts at the US Open.
Potapova stunned 23rd seed Leylah Fernandez by coming back from a set down to secure a remarkable 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory. She was much more dominant in her second-round match against Varvara Lepchenko, winning comfortably 6-3, 6-4.
In the third round, Potapova will face Karolína Muchova, who leads their head-to-head 2-1. Muchova won their most recent encounter 7-6 (4), 6-2 in Montreal last year and is coming off a second-round victory over Naomi Osaka.
Shevchenko, on the other hand, began his campaign with a 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 win over Dominik Koepfer. He was forced to retire mid-way through his second-round encounter against 20th seed Frances Tiafoe while 6-4, 6-1, 1-0.
#3 Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter
Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter both started strong in New York, but only one of them has managed to keep up the pace at US Open 2024.
10th seed de Minaur opened his campaign with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over home favorite Marcos Giron. He was far more decisive in the second round, defeating Otto Virtanen 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (3).
De Minaur will next face Dan Evans, who leads their head-to-head 3-0, including a three-set win (6-1, 2-6, 6-4) in their most recent encounter at the Davis Cup last year.
31st seed Boulter, on the other hand, came from a set down in her opener to secure a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich. However, her tournament ended on a disappointing note with a 7-5, 7-5 loss to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Despite this, Boulter remains in contention in the women’s doubles, where she is competing alongside Anna Kalinskaya. They won their opening match against Xinyu Wang and Saisai Zheng and are set to face eighth seeds Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani next.
#2 Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya
Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya remain the only pair who have both successfully advanced to the third round at US Open 2024.
Top seed Sinner dropped the first set against Mackenzie McDonald but quickly bounced back to secure a routine 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory in the opening round. He then breezed past an in-form Alex Michelsen in the second round, losing just six games in a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 rout.
Sinner will face Australia’s Christopher O’Connell next. Their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1, but Sinner won their most recent encounter 6-4, 6-3 in Miami earlier this year.
15th seed Kalinskaya has been in excellent form, having yet to drop a set this week. She began her campaign with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 win over Lauren Davis and maintained her momentum in the second round with a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 victory against Anna Bondar.
Kalinskaya will take on 15th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the third round, in their first-ever encounter against each other.
#1 Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas
Power couple Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas are the only couple who did not advance to the second round of the US Open in their respective singles tournaments.
26th seed Badosa has been in fine form in New York so far. She opened her campaign with a 6-0, 6-3 thrashing of Viktorija Golubic in the first round and another emphatic 6-3, 7-5 victory over Taylor Townsend in the following round.
The Spaniard is slated to take on Elena-Gabriela Ruse next. Ruse leads their head-to-head 1-0, winning their only previous encounter in three sets at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Tsitsipas, meanwhile, was sent packing in his opener by Thanasi Kokkinakis in four sets 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
The Greek is still not out of action at the US Open this year as he and Paula Badosa are finally set to make their Grand Slam mixed doubles debut on Friday. They will take on the Mexican pairing of Giuliana Olmos and Santiago Gonzalez in their opener.
