The third round of the 2025 US Open men's singles tournament will be remembered as the one which shook the draw Over just two days - Friday and Saturday - the New York courts witnessed upsets of two serious title contenders, a devastating injury crisis of the underdogs who gave it all in previous rounds, and the big disappointment of American hopes with just one of them still standing in the field.
Auger-Aliassime eliminates Zverev
The Sunday's biggest shock came with Alexander Zverev's defeat, the world number three and one of the tournament favorites falling to 25th seed Felix Auger Aliassime 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4.
Zverev started according to script, controlling the court and confidently taking the first set. In the second set, the German was inches away from closing out the match - he held a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreak that would have given him a 2-0 lead. This proved to be the pivotal moment of the entire match. Auger Aliassime saved himself from the brink, won the tiebreak 9-7, and from that moment seized the initiative. The Canadian played phenomenally at the net, winning an astonishing 24 of 27 points in forward positions. His aggressive style completely dismantled Zverev, who began accumulating unforced errors.
The statistics tell the story - Auger Aliassime fired 10 aces, hit 50 winners being very clean in compare to just 35 unforced errors on course of the whole match, and won an impressive 78% of first-serve points. He dominated the Zverev's top weapon as the German recorded just 66% of first serve points and FAA was dominant in terms of pressure points creation - 31 vs 22. For the 25-year-old Canadian, this marks his first victory over a Top 5 player at a Grand Slam and his first fourth-round appearance at the US Open since 2021, when he reached the semifinals. Zverev, meanwhile, once again confirmed his Grand Slam curse - despite 24 career titles, he still cannot break through at tennis's biggest stages.
Shelton's Heartbreak
Ben Shelton was one of American tennis's brightest hopes for success on home soil. Seeded sixth and fresh off his Toronto triumph, he was displaying excellent form and was projected to face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, his tournament ended in the most painful way possible - a shoulder injury that forced him to retire in the third round against Adrian Mannarino.
The drama unfolded on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Shelton led 2-1 in sets after a spectacular rally where he dove for a ball and landed on his left arm - likely when the injury occurred. At the start of the fourth set, the 22 years-old began experiencing sharp pain in his left shoulder. "It's the worst pain I've ever felt in my life," he shouted to his box while trying to overcome the struggle.
The American tried to continue, received medical treatment, but it was clear every shot caused him immense pain. He began shortening points, frequently approaching the net, but Mannarino exploited his struggles to level the match at 2-2 in sets. Before the deciding set, Bryan Shelton advised his son it wasn't worth risking further injury. With tears in his eyes, the young American made the toughest decision of his career - retiring from a match for the first time. Mannarino, the 37-year-old Frenchman, advanced to the fourth round, though he admitted Shelton probably would have won without the injury.
American Nightmare
Friday was a bad day for American men's tennis. Besides Shelton, Frances Tiafoe also exited, losing in straight sets to qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(7). The German, ranked 144th in the world, played the match of his life - dominating with his serve, playing effectively at the net, and preventing Tiafoe from developing his characteristic baseline rally game.
For Tiafoe, last year's semifinalist, it's a painful defeat trademarking a difficult season. The American has struggled on big stages this year - falling in the second rounds of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and now disappointing his home crowd. Tommy Paul also fell, losing a five-set battle to Alexander Bublik 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1. The match ended after 1 a.m., with the Kazakh using his powerful serve (22 aces) and unpredictable style to defeat the 14th-seeded American. Bublik continues his red-hot run - it's his 20th win in last 22 matches, including three titles on clay and grass. The world number 24 is in a form of his life, showing his abilities in all surfaces and is surely not to be written-off for the further surprises coming on at Flushing Meadows.
With Shelton, Tiafoe, and Paul eliminated, Taylor Fritz remains the sole American hope in the men's draw. The fourth seed defeated Switzerland's Jerome Kym 7-6(3), 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4 in the third round and stands as the only American man to reach the tournament's second week.
Injury Epidemic
Saturday brought a true injury epidemic that shook the men's draw. Three players were forced to retire in third- ound matches, bringing the tournament's total withdrawals due to injury to seven. Flavio Cobolli couldn't finish his Italian derby with Lorenzo Musetti, retiring at 3-6, 2-6, 0-2. The world number 26 was experiencing problems with his right arm from the match's start. Cobolli had endured two exhausting five-set marathons in the opening rounds and admitted he was at his physical limit.
Daniel Altmaier also had to retire, this time against Alex de Minaur. The German withdrew in fourth set in the match against the Aussie which looked like the continue of his heroic run from first two rounds. Altmaier who performed upsets over Hamad Medjedovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas in two extremely long five-setters, won the opener against 8th seeded De Minaur in a tiebreak. Then, the fortunes were not bright anymore and Altmaier reitred after trailing a break in fourth set, not being able to continue from physical issues anymore. The third unfortunate player was Kamil Majchrzak, who withdrew from his match against Leandro Riedi at just 3-5 in the first set. The Polish player, who had caused a huge sensation in the second round by eliminating ninth seed Karen Khachanov after saving 5 matchpoints, couldn't continue due to ribs muscles.
These three retirements in a single day, coming after Shelton's withdrawal, highlighted how grueling modern tennis has become. In total, the 2025 US Open men's tournament has seen seven withdrawals due to injury - besides those mentioned, Sebastian Korda and Shang Juncheng retired in the first round, while fifth seed Jack Draper withdrew before his second-round match.
Sinner on Collision Course
While favorites fell, defending champion Jannik Sinner steadily advances toward title defense. The Italian faced difficulties in his match against Denis Shapovalov, ultimately winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The Canadian led 5-2 in the opening set and took it 7-5, but from the second set onward, Sinner controlled the action. Shapovalov was on a front foot again in third set, leading by 3-0 with a break, but Sinner clicked the gears when it was needed and won the following 9 games which was enough to take the lead by 2 sets to 1 and gain the crucial advantage to bring the victory home in 4th set. The ATP ranking leader exploited Shapovalov's weak second serve (winning only 36% of points) and performed a statement win in the first match during this week, which delivered some turbulences for the world number one. While Zverev got dropped from the tournament a few hours later, the draw looks like a one-way traffic for the final for the Italian onwards.
The other top favorites do also move on - Carlos Alcaraz also faced no major problems, demolishing Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0. The Spaniard conceded just 8 games in the entire match, confirming his excellent form. Novak Djokovic, despite back problems, defeated Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3 and at age 38 became the oldest player to reach the US Open fourth round since Jimmy Connors in 1991.