2020 US Open Tennis Championships

Alexander Zverev recovers from two sets down to defeat Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta in a scrappy encounter and reach the US Open final.

The German fifth seed beat the 20th seed 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in 3hr 23min inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to set up his first ever Grand Slam final.

He will play either second seed Dominic Thiem or third seed Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's showpiece. — AFP

Serena Williams battles into a US Open semi-final showdown with Victoria Azarenka as top men's seeds Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev book their spots in the last four.

Williams, seeded third, came from a set down to overcome unseeded Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova and keep alive her bid for a 24th singles Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows.

Later, Azarenka blew away Belgium's Elise Mertens as she continues her hunt for a first Grand Slam title in seven years. — AFP

Fourth seed Naomi Osaka overcomes unseeded Shelby Rogers in straight sets to reach the US Open semi-finals and declares it "revenge" for earlier defeats.

The Japanese 2018 US Open champion brushed aside the 27-year-old American 6-3, 6-4, in 1hr 20min inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Osaka, 22, will play 28th-seeded American Jennifer Brady on Thursday for a place in the final. — AFP

Second seed Sofia Kenin of the United States was sent crashing out of the US Open on Monday, beaten in straight sets by Elise Mertens of Belgium.

Kenin, the highest seeded player left in the tournament and winner of the 2020 Australian Open, was bundled out of the last 16 6-3, 6-3, in 1hr 14 mins by Mertens.

Mertens, the 16th seed, will now play Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the quarter-finals. — AFP

Serena Williams battles into the quarter-finals of the US Open as second seed Dominic Thiem sails through to the last eight of the men's draw at Flushing Meadows.

Williams, chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, had to summon up every last ounce of strength to depose 15th seed Maria Sakkari in three, hard-fought sets.

The 38-year-old American needed almost two and a half hours to dislodge her 25-year-old Greek counterpart 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 inside an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. — AFP

Serena Williams takes on 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens for a place in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.

The third-round match is the drawcard event on day six at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Stephens dumped Williams out of the 2013 Australian Open during her sensational run to the semi-finals as a 19-year-old.  

World number one Novak Djokovic eases into the last 16 at the US Open, cruising to a straight sets victory over Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.

Djokovic, chasing an 18th Grand Slam singles title, was always in control against his 28th-seeded opponent, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in 1hr 42mins.

The Serbian top seed will now play Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta for a place in the quarter-finals. — AFP

Andy Murray crashes out of the US Open second round in straight sets to 15th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The former world number one was demolished by the 20-year-old Canadian 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2hr 8min.

Murray, playing in his first singles Grand Slam since the 2019 Australian Open, had rallied to win a thrilling five-set match against Japan's 49th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka the first round on Tuesday. — AFP

Serena Williams continues her hunt for a record seventh US Open title with a straight-sets win as second seed Sofia Kenin also moves into round three at Flushing Meadows.

Williams, the tournament's third seed, dispatched unseeded Russian Margarita Gasparyan 6-2, 6-4 under the roof of a near-empty Arthur Ashe Stadium on a wet New York evening.

The 38-year-old closed out the first set with ease before a slight wobble in the second when she was broken twice by Gasparyan. — AFP

Serena Williams and Andy Murray are back in action on day four at the US Open in New York.

Williams, the tournament's third seed, continues her bid for a record-equalling 24th singles Grand Slam against unseeded Russian Margarita Gasparyan.

The second-round match kicks off the evening session inside the main Arthur Ashe Stadium. — AFP

Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters bow out of the US Open at the first hurdle on as seeded players dominate the women's draw for a second straight day.

Hours after younger sister Serena had battled into the second round, Venus, 40, was back in the spotlight in what was an incredible 22nd US Open appearance.

But Williams, who reached the final of the US Open on her debut at the tournament in 1997, was beaten in the first round for the first time in her glittering career by Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. — AFP

Serena Williams insists she isn't focusing on records as she takes a step towards a 24th Grand Slam title with a straight-sets win in the US Open first round.

The 38-year-old overcame the loss of her first service game in the opening set to power past Kristie Ahn 7-5, 6-3 in a virtually empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Williams is pursuing a seventh US Open title at the US National Tennis Center that would take her level with Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles. — AFP

Karolina Pliskova leads a day of dominance for seeded players as the underdogs fail to bite at the US Open.

Top seed Pliskova shrugs off the surreal setting of an empty arena at Arthur Ashe Stadium to breeze past Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-0 in 1hr 3min.

Pliskova's brisk victory set the tone for the remainder of the opening day in the women's draw, where 15 of the 16 seeds in action progressed safely. — AFP

Top seeds including Novak Djokovic overcome eerily quiet stands as a "weird," spectator-free US Open starts with heightened safety protocols for some players following a positive COVID-19 test.

Several competitors were placed in what one of them described as a "bubble within a bubble" after France's Benoit Paire was withdrawn from the men's draw Sunday for testing positive for coronavirus.

"It was made clear that the infected player was not adhering to the health protocols that have been approved by the State of New York," a spokesperson for the United States Tennis Association says. — AFP

The US Open runs from August 31 to September 13. Get the latest updates on the matches for the US Open. Main photo from Agence France-Presse.