Fritz the underdog remains determined, Djokovic meets Alcaraz, Pegula battles Sabalenka again, and Wang Yafan sadly retires due to injury.

Three minutes daily to keep up with the world of tennis. Hello tennis fans, today is Wednesday, September 3, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by Tennis Home.

At noon Beijing time today, in the quarterfinal highlight of the 2025 US Open men’s singles bottom half, local favorite and 4th seed Fritz fought back to take a set after trailing 0-2, but ultimately the persistent underdog lost in four sets 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6 to Serbian star Djokovic, suffering his 11th straight defeat to him, making their head-to-head record an embarrassing 0-11.

Djokovic, who advanced to the semifinals, also set a new record by reaching the semifinals of all four Grand Slams in a single season for the seventh time in his career, standing above the rest. Next, the Serbian star will face former champion and Spanish sensation Alcaraz for a spot in the final. Alcaraz secured his semifinal place first by defeating 20th seed Czech player Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 with a solid performance in his quarterfinal match. Djokovic and Alcaraz have met eight times before, with the Serbian leading 5-3.

In the women’s draw: in the top half quarterfinals, last year’s runner-up and 4th seed Pegula defeated Czech star Krajicek 6-3, 6-3, advancing to the semifinals for the second consecutive year, marking the second time in her career she has reached a Grand Slam semifinal.

In the semifinals, she will face world number one Sabalenka, who advanced easily after receiving a walkover due to Czech player Vančurová’s withdrawal. Vančurová explained in her withdrawal statement, “I’m very sorry to announce that due to a knee injury, I must withdraw from tonight’s quarterfinal. I tried my best to play today, but my knee hurt again during warm-up. After consulting the tournament doctor, I decided not to risk worsening the injury.” “I’m grateful for all the support at this US Open and apologize to fans looking forward to this match. I had a wonderful time in New York and look forward to returning next year.”

Upon hearing this news, Sabalenka also posted a message wishing Vančurová a speedy recovery: “I feel sad for Marketa; she has been through so much. She has played very well, and I know how painful this must be for her. Take good care of yourself, and I hope you recover soon.”

After advancing comfortably to the semifinals, Sabalenka will face Pegula in a rematch of last year’s US Open final. Back then, Sabalenka defeated home favorite Pegula 7-5, 7-5 to claim the title. Will the same story repeat when they meet earlier this year in the semifinals?

In women’s doubles, the US-Canada duo of Williams/Fernandez failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals, being swept 6-1, 6-2 by top seeds Siniakova/Townsend, missing out on the semifinals. However, reaching the quarterfinals is already a great result for 45-year-old Williams. The other three doubles semifinal spots were claimed by second seeds Errani/Borini, third seeds Dabrowski/Luttruf, and fourth seeds Kudermetova/Mertens. Thus, the US Open women’s doubles semifinals are fully occupied by the top four seeded pairs this year.

Finally, let’s guess and recognize. The following picture shows a player competing in a match. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

Last time’s guess was correct by some fans. Indeed, the person in the picture is the Swiss dark horse Riedi at this year’s US Open.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)