US Open ATP Day Four Round-Up | Carlos Alcaraz overcomes scare, Tsitsipas advances and Shelton survives Hurkacz
ATPThursday, 03 September 2026 at 05:27
Day four brought another demanding test for several of the men's contenders, with Carlos Alcaraz recovering from a set down to defeat Jaime Faria, Daniil Medvedev cruising past Sebastian Gorzny and Stefanos Tsitsipas fighting back against Lloyd Harris to reach the third round. Ben Shelton also survived a tight four-set battle against Hubert Hurkacz.
Rain once again disrupted play in New York, with Rafael Jodar's match against Yunchaokete Bu among those affected by the weather. Bu nevertheless completed a historic first Grand Slam main-draw victory, while Alcaraz and Tsitsipas showed their ability to respond when their opening rounds became more complicated than expected.
Medvedev makes light work of Gorzny
Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 Sebastian Gorzny
Daniil Medvedev needed just two hours and eight minutes to underline the gulf in experience between himself and world No. 731 Sebastian Gorzny. The Russian immediately took control, using his return to put constant pressure on Gorzny's serve and breaking three times in a first set that lasted only 21 minutes.
The second set was even more efficient from Medvedev. This time, one break was enough to put him firmly in front, while his own serve remained virtually untouchable. By the time he moved two sets ahead, less than an hour had been played.
Gorzny put up more resistance in the third and managed to keep the set competitive, but Medvedev never allowed the upset to become a realistic possibility. He finished with 14 aces, won 87% of his first-serve points and saved all three break points he faced. The former world No. 1 now advances to the third round, where he will face Rinderknech.
Shelton wins serving battle
Ben Shelton 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 Hubert Hurkacz
Ben Shelton came through a difficult contest against Hubert Hurkacz, with both players relying heavily on their serves and leaving little room for extended baseline exchanges. Shelton made the first breakthrough in the opening set, taking advantage of errors from the Pole before holding his advantage to take it 6-3.
The American again moved ahead early in the second, but Hurkacz immediately responded by recovering the break. The former Wimbledon semifinalist then capitalized on Shelton's own mistakes, winning four of the final five games to level the match and force a third set.
There were no break points in that third set, leaving the outcome to a closely fought tiebreak, which Shelton eventually won. The fourth remained equally tight until the American found the decisive break late in the set, finally ending Hurkacz's resistance and completing the victory.
Bu upsets Jodar
Rafael Jodar 2-6, 1-6, 1-6 Yunchaokete Bu
Yunchaokete Bu secured the biggest victory of his young Grand Slam career, defeating Rafael Jodar in straight sets in a match that was interrupted by rain. The weather certainly disrupted the contest, but it was difficult to explain the result simply through the interruption, as Jodar struggled to find his level throughout the match.
Bu arrived with valuable match rhythm after coming through qualifying and used that advantage from the beginning. His forehand repeatedly put Jodar under pressure, while his serving gave the Spaniard almost no opportunities to fight his way back into the contest.
The Chinese player won 84% of his first-serve points, faced no break points and converted seven of his 16 opportunities to break. The victory sends Bu into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time, where he will face wildcard Zheng. The section of the draw also guarantees that at least one player ranked outside the top 80 will reach the fourth round.
Navone cruises through Berrettini
Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-7 Mariano Navone
If there were any doubts about Mariano Navone's level after his stunning victory over Novak Djokovic, the Argentine offered another strong answer against former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini. Navone survived another marathon, this time lasting three and a half hours, to reach the third round.
Berrettini took the opening set 6-3 in 38 minutes, but Navone responded immediately by winning the second by the same score. The Argentine was comfortable extending rallies and repeatedly forced Berrettini to play one more ball, while the Italian struggled to find his usual consistency behind the first serve.
Navone finished the match with three breaks to Berrettini's two and had the stronger first-serve percentage, 70% compared with 57% for his opponent. After already taking down Djokovic, the Argentine has now added another experienced Grand Slam performer to his list of victims and continues to make a serious statement in New York.
BU!
— ESPN (@espn) September 2, 2026
Bu Yunchaokete takes down No. 12 Rafael Jodar to become the first "lucky loser" in the Open Era to win vs. a Top 15 seed 🙌 pic.twitter.com/9QvG6V2oyp
Tsitsipas reaches third round
Lloyd Harris 7-6, 3-6, 6-7, 4-6 Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas recovered from a set down against a vintage Lloyd Harris to reach the third round of the US Open for the first time in five years. The Greek lost the opening-set tiebreak, but quickly found a higher level and began to take control of the match.
Tsitsipas won four consecutive games in the second set, taking advantage of two successive break opportunities to turn the momentum in his favor. Harris continued to fight and saved several set points while serving at 5-6 in the third, forcing another tiebreak, but Tsitsipas held his nerve to move ahead.
The fourth set remained close for much of the way before Tsitsipas found the decisive break late in the set. He closed out the victory and now faces Jiri Lehecka in the third round, continuing a Grand Slam run that he will hope can finally develop into a deeper run in New York.
Alcaraz recovers from Faria scare
Jaime Faria 6-4, 0-6, 2-6, 2-6 Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz survived an early scare against Jaime Faria, recovering from a set down to defeat the Portuguese 4-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 and reach the third round. Faria made the stronger start and took the opening set, but the defending champion responded immediately, producing a bagel in the second set to completely change the momentum.
Alcaraz then carried that surge into the third, winning eight consecutive games from 5-4 in the first set through the beginning of the third. Faria finally stopped the run at 2-0, but the interruption was only temporary. Alcaraz continued to dictate the exchanges, secured another break and moved ahead in the match after closing out the third set on his serve.
The fourth set followed the same pattern. Alcaraz broke early to move 2-1 ahead and then found another break at 5-2, giving himself the opportunity to serve for the match. Having dropped just five games across the final three sets, the defending champion completed the comeback without allowing Faria another opening.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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