Two sets and out for Cirstea
Jessica Pegula did not need a third set. The third seed beat Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-4 in the Sunday night session at Flushing Meadows, and the 16th seed never found a route into either one.
That result puts Pegula into a second consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final. It also keeps alive the one storyline she cannot escape in New York: she reached the final here in 2024, lost it, and has been chasing that week ever since. Two rounds now stand between her and a second shot at it.
Her reward is Emma Navarro. The 26th seed closed the night by seeing off Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-2, which means the last eight produces an all-American tie in that section of the draw.
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Five out of seven for the home players
Seven Americans played fourth-round matches on Sunday. Five won. After a Saturday that went badly for the host nation, the fourth round rebalanced things in a hurry.
Frances Tiafoe beat former champion Daniil Medvedev 7-6, 6-4, 7-6 for his first major quarter-final since the 2025 French Open, and he stayed unbeaten in ten career matches inside Louis Armstrong Stadium. Alex Michelsen removed the 27th seed Tomas Etcheverry, so Tiafoe and Michelsen now play each other. Ben Shelton came through against Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets and gets reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, who ended Tommy Paul’s tournament in three.
What waits for Pegula
Navarro is a former semi-finalist at this event, and she has looked comfortable enough this fortnight to make the quarter-final a genuine question rather than a formality. Neither player has dropped the kind of set that suggests a soft afternoon ahead.
On the other side of that half, Aryna Sabalenka opened Sunday by beating Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3. The two-time defending champion draws Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, who came through 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 against Marta Kostyuk. Pegula will know exactly what the bracket is offering, and she has been on the wrong end of it before.
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