Tien battles, Zverev cruises, Gea surprises: the 2026 US Open men’s fourth round is set
Learner Tien came from two sets to one down to complete the men’s fourth round and become the youngest American in the last 16 here since Roddick in 2002, and Alexander Zverev finally won a match in straight sets. One quarter-final place will go to either a man ranked No. 70 or a lucky loser who is only in the draw because Casper Ruud withdrew.
Learner Tien, 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Learner Tien completed the men’s line-up on Sunday night and did it the hard way, beating Jakub Mensik 6-3, 1-6, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 from two sets to one down. At 20, he becomes the youngest American man to reach the fourth round of the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2002, and he is now 5-0 in five-set matches.
Tien thanked the people who had stayed to watch him do it. “I want to thank everyone here for staying this late,” Tien said on court. “I think if this stadium was empty, I’m really not sure if I’d win this match tonight.”
It is his sixth top-20 win of the season, and it comes three days after he ended Gael Monfils’ Grand Slam career, beating the Frenchman 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in what was Monfils’ 201st and final match at a major. Tien plays Karen Khachanov in the fourth round.
Zverev finally gets a short night
Alexander Zverev spent 9 hours and 26 minutes on court reaching the third round, becoming the first No. 1 seed in history to get there by playing back-to-back five-set matches. He then beat Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-2.
“Today was definitely much better than the last couple of days. I think I improved a lot from the baseline,” Zverev said. “I was not happy with the second set. Especially at the end of the second set I lost focus a little bit. But the first and third sets are a big improvement on the other days.”
He was measured about what comes next. “The draw is not going to get easier. We have 16 players left in the tournament, so I’m expecting tough matches, but I hope my form is also improving.” He plays Italian No. 21 seed Luciano Darderi.
One quarter-finalist will come from a lucky loser and a man ranked No. 70 The strangest match of the round pairs Botic van de Zandschulp, ranked No. 70, with Arthur Gea, a French lucky loser ranked No. 87. One of them will reach the quarter-finals.
Van de Zandschulp beat Alex de Minaur, the No. 6 seed, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in the second round, and then survived Zizou Bergs 3-6, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, two points from defeat in the fourth-set tiebreak. It is his first fourth round at a major in four years and his first here in five. Van de Zandschulp is the last man to have beaten Carlos Alcaraz at this tournament, in the second round in 2024. The defending champion has won nine matches in a row here since.
Bergs, the No. 31 seed, is now 0-4 in Grand Slam third rounds.
Gea is 21 and is in this draw only because Casper Ruud withdrew before it began. He beat American Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, and then American wild card Michael Zheng 7-6 (7), 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 from two sets to one down. He is only the second lucky loser on record to reach the fourth round at this tournament, after Corentin Moutet in 2022.
What is left of the seeding
The US Open has produced its usual volume of casualties, and the fourth round is the result: a handful of ties nobody would have missed, and several nobody could have predicted. Ten of the top 17 seeds are already gone. Gone before the fourth round: the No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic, the No. 5 seed Cobolli, the No. 6 seed de Minaur, the No. 9 seed Fritz, the No. 10 seed Arthur Fils, the No. 12 seed Rafael Jodar, the No. 13 seed Lorenzo Musetti, the No. 16 seed Brandon Nakashima and the No. 17 seed Mensik.
Francisco Cerundolo put it plainly after beating Fritz. “The level is super tight, from the second player in the world until, I don’t know, 80,” he said. “It’s open to everyone. Everyone can win.”
US Open, men’s singles, fourth round schedule
A. Zverev [1] vs L. Darderi [21] – scheduled Monday
A. Gea (L) vs B. Van de Zandschulp – scheduled Monday
K. Khachanov vs L. Tien [14] – scheduled Monday
F. Cerundolo [24] vs A. Blockx [28] – scheduled Monday
D. Medvedev [7] vs F. Tiafoe [11] – Sunday, Louis Armstrong Stadium, not before 3:00 PM
A. Michelsen vs T. Etcheverry [27] – Sunday, Grandstand, not before 2:30 PM
B. Shelton [8] vs S. Tsitsipas – Sunday, Arthur Ashe Stadium, 7:00 PM
T. Paul [20] vs C. Alcaraz [2] – Sunday, Arthur Ashe Stadium, not before 2:00 PM
US Open, men’s singles third round results
A. Zverev [1] d. A. Tabilo [25]: 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-2
L. Darderi [21] d. D. Sweeny (W): 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
A. Gea (L) d. M. Zheng (W): 7-6(7), 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
B. Van de Zandschulp d. Z. Bergs [31]: 3-6, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3
K. Khachanov d. B. Bonzi: 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
L. Tien [14] d. J. Mensik [17]: 6-3, 1-6, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4
F. Cerundolo [24] d. T. Fritz [9]: 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
A. Blockx [28] d. F. Cobolli [5]: 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3
D. Medvedev [7] d. A. Rinderknech [26]: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
F. Tiafoe [11] d. V. Vacherot [22]: 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
A. Michelsen d. D. Merida: 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3
T. Etcheverry [27] d. M. Navone: 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
B. Shelton [8] d. D. Shapovalov: 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4
S. Tsitsipas d. J. Lehecka [18]: 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-1
T. Paul [20] d. A. Bublik [15]: 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3
C. Alcaraz [2] d. Y. Wu: 6-3, 6-4, 6-1
