Karen Khachanov survives five-set thriller to reach US Open quarter-finals
Karen Khachanov battled back from two sets down to beat Learner Tien in five sets and reach the US Open quarter-finals, on a chaotic day nine that also saw Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka fall to lower-ranked opponents.
A wild night in Flushing Meadows
On day nine of the 2026 US Open, Russia's Karen Khachanov produced one of the tournament's most dramatic wins so far, defeating 14th-seeded American Learner Tien in a fourth-round five-setter, 7-5, 4-6, 6-7(6-8), 6-1, 6-4, on Louis Armstrong Stadium in a match that stretched into the early hours of the morning.
Khachanov arrived at this year's US Open unseeded for the first time in years, coming off his longest winless run in nearly a decade. Down two sets to one, he found another gear to take the fourth and fifth sets. Afterwards he joked about being "still young" compared with his recent opponents — both Tien and his upcoming quarter-final rival, Belgium's Alexander Blockx, are considerably younger than the 30-year-old.
Blockx reached the last eight after an equally gruelling contest, beating 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 while reportedly playing through rib pain, according to the Guardian.
Another marathon unfolded between Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp and unseeded Frenchman Arthur Gea. Gea came within a single point of becoming the first-ever lucky loser to reach a Grand Slam men's singles quarter-final, holding a match point in the third-set tie-break and serving for the match in the fourth set, but van de Zandschulp fought back to win 3-6, 6-7(0-7), 7-6(9-7), 7-6(7-3), 6-4, as reported by Puntodebreak.
Upsets on the women's side too
The day also produced upsets in the women's draw. China's Zheng Qinwen beat six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 — Swiatek has not gone past the quarter-finals in New York since winning the title in 2022. Second seed Elena Rybakina cruised past two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4, putting herself in position to claim the world number one ranking with a semi-final run. French Open champion Mirra Andreeva recovered from dropping the first set to beat Anastasia Potapova, while fourth seed Coco Gauff eased past Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4.
The quarter-final schedule continues Tuesday, headlined by Aryna Sabalenka against Linda Noskova and Carlos Alcaraz against Ben Shelton.
