World number one Aryna Sabalenka will be hot favourite to secure an Australian Open hat-trick, having won the past two years at Melbourne Park. In-form Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek are her biggest threats, but Zheng Qinwen could be primed for a Slam breakthrough after a stellar 2024, while emerging talent Mirra Andreeva could upset some top names. We highlight five women to watch at the first Grand Slam of the year starting on Sunday:

Aryna Sabalenka

The Belarusian comes into the Australian Open on the back of the best year of her career in which she won the US Open as well as retaining her Melbourne Park crown.

The powerful 26-year-old also won in Cincinnati and at the WTA 1000 at Wuhan, her fourth title of the year, which helped her unseat Iga Swiatek as world number one.

The defending champion is unbeaten in Melbourne since 2022, when she lost in the third round to Marketa Vondrousova.

Sabalenka began 2025 by winning the Brisbane International, dropping only one set on the way to the title.

Iga Swiatek

The 23-year-old Pole won her fourth French Open last year but ended 2024 under a doping cloud after serving a one-month ban.

Swiatek tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine in an out-of-competition sample in August but the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted that the violation was not intentional.

News of the saga only emerged in late November but Swiatek made a confident return in the mixed-teams United Cup in Sydney last week as Poland reached the final, losing only one of her five singles matches — to Coco Gauff.

Swiatek’s Australian Open record is patchy and she has only progressed beyond the fourth round once, in 2022, when she was stunned by Danielle Collins in the semi-finals.

Coco Gauff

Arguably the hottest player in women’s tennis right now, Gauff has enjoyed a stunning few months after struggling with her serve and forehand in the wake of winning the US Open in 2023.

After parting with coach Brad Gilbert, Gauff won the WTA 1000 in Beijing and the WTA Tour Finals working with the little-known Matt Daly as she rescued a faltering year in superb style.

The 20-year-old world number three began her 2025 campaign with a run to the final of the United Cup where she beat Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

Zheng Qinwen

The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough 2024, beating Swiatek on her way to winning Olympic gold in Paris and claiming three WTA titles.

“Queen Wen” ended the year at a career-high number five after claiming the Pan Pacific Open title in Tokyo.

She then reached the championship match at the WTA Tour Finals in Riyadh, where she was edged in a final-set tiebreak by Gauff.

Zheng came close to becoming only the second Chinese player after Li Na to win a Grand Slam singles crown when she was beaten in the Australian Open final by Sabalenka a year ago.

With a powerful serve and heavy forehand, Zheng could again emerge as Sabalenka’s closest challenger on Melbourne’s hard and fast courts.

Mirra Andreeva

The Russian may be only 17 but driven by the fearlessness of youth she showed last year she can win on every surface.

The world number 15 possesses a fine array of shots and a tactical nous that belies her age. She won a maiden WTA title in Iasi, Romania, in July.

With seasoned coach and former Grand Slam winner Conchita Martinez in her corner, Andreeva’s trajectory would appear to be relentlessly upward.

She beat Sabalenka on her way to a maiden Slam semi-final at Roland Garros but the world number one turned the tables in the semi-finals in Brisbane last week, although the Belarusian’s 6-3, 6-2 win was a lot closer than the scoreline suggested.

Coco Gauff roared past Iga Swiatek to inspire team USA Sunday before Taylor Fritz sealed the United Cup title with victory over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in Sydney. Gauff opened with a statement 6-4, 6-4 win over Swiatek in 1hr 51min of hard-hitting tennis to fire a warning shot ahead of the Australian Open. Big-serving Fritz then battled through against Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) to spark wild celebrations as the Americans won the mixed-teams cup for the second time in three years after winning the inaugural event in 2023.

For Poland it meant falling at the final hurdle again after losing to Germany 12 months ago.

Gauff set the ball rolling with a second victory in a row over Swiatek after beating the former world number one at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on her way to the title.

Gauff had won all six of her previous singles and doubles matches this week and continued her streak when Swiatek double-faulted on match point at 4-5, 30-40 in the second set.

“I think I have the belief that I am one of the best players in the world, and when I play good tennis, it’s hard for me to be beaten,” said Gauff, who won the award as player of the tournament.

‘Tough today’

The 20-year-old will go into the first Grand Slam of the year next Sunday unbeaten in singles since losing to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the Wuhan semi-finals in October, and brimming with confidence.

“Today I think I played great tennis, and I’m happy to get a point,” she said. “It was tough today. I’m not gonna lie.”

Gauff’s victory left the United States one win away from lifting the title for the second time, and Fritz delivered after edging a third-set tiebreak to seal a tense encounter.

“It’s been a great week,” said Fritz.

“They’re an incredibly tough team and the margins are very small,” he added after a serve-dominated match that featured 30 aces and just three break points.

“I feel like it could have always gone either way. Just want to say thanks to my whole team.”

Earlier, Swiatek took a medical timeout at 5-4 down in the second set to have strapping put on her niggling left thigh which has bothered her all week in Sydney.

After losing to Gauff, Swiatek left the court in tears, walking gingerly, but returned laughing and joking during the trophy presentations.

Red-hot Gauff, who did not drop a set in five singles matches, goes into the Australian Open as world number three.

She enjoyed United Cup singles wins over Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic, Zhang Shuai, Karolina Muchova and Swiatek.

Fritz, who is at career-best number four in the rankings, dropped his opening United Cup match to Felix Auger-Aliassime but then won four straight.

Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek will battle for United Cup glory after the USA and Poland won their respective semi-finals on Saturday in Sydney amid bizarre circumstances. Swiatek beat Elena Rybakina to help last year’s runners-up Poland see off Kazakhstan and they were joined in Sunday’s final of the mixed-teams tournament by the Gauff-led United States. The Americans defeated the Czech Republic, with Gauff beating Karolina Muchova and then an increasingly irate Tomas Machac retiring from his match against Taylor Fritz in an abrupt and bewildering ending. 

“I woke up so late today,” said Gauff, 20, after she dismissed Muchova 6-1, 6-4 to underline what a threat she will be at the Australian Open starting next week.

Gauff, the world number three, added: “The whole match I was intense and focused, that made the difference today.”

Big-serving Fritz, ranked fourth in the world, lost the first set on a tie break but fought back in the second and looked poised to level up their men’s singles match when a hot and bothered Machac shook hands, sending the Americans through.

“Not the way I want to win in the end, but I think we’re all happy to be through to the final,” said Fritz.

He said that his opponent, who had ranted at the Czech bench and squandered chances to seal the match, told him afterwards he had cramp.

“I didn’t expect it to end so abruptly. I did not notice at the time that he was cramping,” said Fritz.

‘Perfect’

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek played a starring role for Poland in their semi-final against Kazakhstan as she beat Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

“This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after giving Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie.

“It is perfect preparation for the Australian Open,” said the world number two.

Swiatek again played with strapping on her right thigh, having been troubled in her tough three-set win over Britain’s Katie Boulter in the quarter-finals.

That clash lasted nearly three hours and Swiatek was slow out of the blocks against Rybakina, who is ranked sixth in the world.

They went to a first-set tie break after Rybakina saved two set points, before the 23-year-old Pole pulled away to take her country into the final.

“I for sure did not start well and had the handbrake on a bit. I knew I had to do something and change the momentum,” said Swiatek, who made light of any injury concerns.

She is relishing the prospect of a meeting with Gauff.

“I think at this stage she’s developing every month and it’s going to be also a nice challenge,” she said.

Hubert Hurkacz put Poland on the way when he beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-2 in the men’s singles.

The 16th-ranked Hurkacz lost both his singles matches in group play but defeated Britain’s Billy Harris in the quarter-finals and took that momentum into the meeting with Shevchenko.

Coco Gauff overpowered Karolina Muchova in straight sets to win the China Open on Sunday for her second title of the year and eighth overall.  The 20-year-old American and last year’s US Open champion stormed to victory 6-1, 6-3 in one hour, 16 minutes in Beijing. After a disappointing few months by her standards, including surrendering her New York crown in the last 16, Gauff adds the China Open to her triumph in Auckland in January. The sixth-ranked Gauff, under a new coaching team in the Chinese capital after splitting with Brad Gilbert last month, wiped away tears at the end.

It was Gauff’s third win in as many matches against Muchova, who suffered a career-threatening wrist injury and missed 10 months of tennis before returning this summer.

“It’s great to see you back on court. You’re such an amazing player and hopefully we play many more finals,” Gauff told her beaten Czech opponent.

“It’s incredible to see how well you’ve managed your season after so many injuries,” said Gauff, whose mother was court-side to see her biggest win since the US Open.

It proved one match too far for Muchova, who at 49 in the world was the lowest-ranked finalist in the history of the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament.

“You kicked my butt,” said Muchova, last year’s French Open finalist and a two-time US Open semi-finalist.

Gauff made a fast start, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the first set and then holding her own serve without conceding a point.

The young American was up 3-0 with barely 10 minutes on the clock.

The 28-year-old Muchova sent down an ace to get on the board but Gauff was in the mood and her serve — her biggest problem of late — was firing.

Gauff had three break points in the sixth game and converted the first to streak to a 5-1 lead against a shell-shocked Muchova.

Gauff rattled off her third ace of the match to give her two set points.

Her serving wobbles momentarily returned but she wrapped the first set up in 29 minutes on her third set point.

Muchova, chasing only the second title of her career, dumped out top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals and then beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

She belatedly found her feet at the start of the second set and broke for a 2-0 lead, only for Gauff to break back immediately on the way to a comfortable win.

Coco Gauff in action© AFP

Coco Gauff joined Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on the US Open scrap-heap Sunday as the defending champion crashed out to Emma Navarro in a blizzard of mistakes. As Gauff exited, US hopes were then rekindled when Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz reached the men’s last-eight, igniting hopes of a first homegrown male Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick’s win in New York in 2003. Third-ranked Gauff slumped to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 fourth round defeat to her American teammate on the back of 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors. 

The 20-year-old’s exit means Serena Williams remains the last woman to successfully defend the US Open title back in 2014.

“I lost in the first round the last two years and now to be making the quarter-finals is pretty insane,” said Navarro, who will face Spain’s Paula Badosa for a place in the semi-finals.

Gauff’s loss was another body blow to the season’s final Grand Slam.

Djokovic, the defending men’s champion, was knocked out in the third round to suffer his earliest exit in 18 years.

Fellow crowd-pleaser Alcaraz, the 2022 winner in New York and reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, was stunned in the second round.

“I gave it my all,” said Gauff. “Obviously there were things execution-wise, where I was like, I wish I could serve better. I think if I did that, it would have been a different story.”

Navarro had defeated Gauff at Wimbledon in July and was dominant again on Sunday from the outset.

The 23-year-old broke for 4-2 in the first set and sealed the opener in the ninth game where one rally stretched to 27 shots.

Gauff recovered from a break down in the second set to level the tie, but it was a brief respite as she served up three more double faults in the third game of the decider to slip a crucial break down again.

‘I want to be part of it’

Tiafoe joined former champions Andre Agassi, Roddick and Pete Sampras as the only American men to reach at least three US Open quarter-finals since 2000.

The 20th-ranked Tiafoe notched a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-3 victory over Alexei Popyrin, who shocked Djokovic in the last round.

Tiafoe will face Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the semi-finals.

The 26-year-old is the second American man in the quarter-finals after Fritz defeated Casper Ruud earlier in the day.

Tommy Paul can make it three, but he has to get past world number one Jannik Sinner on Monday.

“I used to hit the ball off a wall dreaming about playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium where the Williams sisters won and where (Roger) Federer won like a million times,” said Tiafoe.

“I want to be part of that. This court brings out the best in me.”

‘Tough battle’

Dimitrov, the ninth seed, put out Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 to return to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2019 when he defeated Federer in what proved to be the Swiss legend’s final appearance in New York. 

Alexander Zverev, who blew a two-set lead to lose the 2020 final to Dominic Thiem, made his fourth quarter-final by beating Brandon Nakashima of the United States, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

Fourth-ranked Zverev served 14 aces and clubbed 51 winners past the 50th-ranked Nakashima.

Up next is a last-eight clash with 12th seed Fritz, who came back from two sets down to triumph in the pair’s dramatic fourth round clash at Wimbledon in July.

“That was an amazing match. I expect a tough battle — it always is when I face Taylor,” said Zverev.

Fritz knocked out 2022 runner-up and eighth-ranked Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 on the back of 24 aces to reach his third Grand Slam quarter-final of the year.

New York-born Badosa reached her first US Open quarter-final with a 6-1, 6-2 win over China’s Wang Yafan.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, the first two games took 17 minutes. Badosa saved all eight break points she faced.

“It was so humid I thought I was going to die,” said the 26-year-old. 

Women’s second seed and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, runner-up to Gauff last year, eased into a fourth successive quarter-final by seeing off Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-4, unleashing 41 winners.

Sabalenka will next face either Zheng Qinwen or Donna Vekic, who were facing off in a repeat of the Olympic Games final won by the Chinese star.

Coco Gauff powered into the second round of the US Open on Monday, launching her title defence with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva as defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic prepared to start his repeat bid under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Gauff, seeded third, fired 10 aces and needed just 66 minutes to beat 66th-ranked Gracheva. She saved eight break points — including two with aces in the final game. “It is definitely a lot of pressure this tournament but I’m just enjoying it,” said Gauff, who is seeded third behind world number one Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.

“Last year was incredible, so I’m just bringing those vibes and whatever happens, happens.”

Gauff has battled through an erratic season since capturing her maiden major last year and her tune-up tournaments saw her fall in the third round at Toronto before she crashed out of her first match as the defending champion in Cincinnati.

“The last few weeks have been a little bit tough,” Gauff said. “But today was I think the best tennis I’ve played in a while.”

Four-time champion Djokovic, seeded second behind world number one Jannik Sinner, is vying to become the first man to repeat in New York since Roger Federer won five straight US Opens from 2004-2008.

“Hopefully that changes this year,” said Djokovic, who highlighted an otherwise disappointing season with an emotional gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

That victory satisfied a years’ long quest for Djokovic, who has been hindered by a knee injury in 2024. 

With Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz snapping at his heels, Djokovic is facing the prospect of a year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.

The 37-year-old, whose 24 Grand Slam titles are tied with Aussie legend Margaret Court for most all-time, says he still gets pumped up for the “pillars of our sport.”

And that’s especially true of the US Open, where he’ll anchor the night session taking on Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot.

“I can’t wait to be under the lights,” Djokovic said. “The noise, the energy of the stadium is just different from anything else.”

American Ben Shelton got the ball rolling on Ashe with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory over 2020 champion Dominic Thiem.

Shelton’s triumph marked an end to Thiem’s Grand Slam career, the Austrian having announced he would retire at the end of 2024 after several injury-plagued seasons.

“I just want to say thanks for all the support,” Thiem told fans. “It’s been 10 years since I first played here, I had my greatest success on this court.”

Krejcikova advances

Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany needed four sets to get past lucky loser Maximilian Marter 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-2.

Sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev beat Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 and eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway advanced with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2 win over China’s Bu Yunchaokete.

Ruud next faces French veteran Gael Monfils, who beat Diego Schwartzman 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the Argentinian’s final Grand Slam appearance as he heads into retirement.

Wimbledon women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded eighth, eased into the second round with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Marina Bassols Ribera.

Olympic women’s singles gold medallist Zheng Qinwen of China, seeded seventh, rallied from a set down to beat Amanda Anisimova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“Every ball (from Anisimova) went inside in the beginning and I couldn’t do anything,” said Zheng.

“Little by little I started to get into the rhythm,” added Zheng, who finished runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open, and could face the second seed from Belarus in the quarter-finals.

Sabalenka closed out the night session on Louis Armstrong Stadium against Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon.

Coco Gauff is embracing the pressure and privilege of defending her US Open title — with the help of elite Olympians and at least one encouraging TikTok commentator. “Obviously coming in as defending champion is a little bit of pressure, but also more of a privilege, because as my new motto is: If you defend, that means you won something before,” Gauff said Friday at Flushing Meadows, where the final Grand Slam of the season starts on Monday. Gauff, ranked third in world, has endured a difficult follow-up season after bagging her first major title here last year.

A semi-finalist at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, she was bounced in the fourth round at Wimbledon and endured Olympic disappointment in Paris.

She fell in the third round at Toronto, and crashed out of the first match of her Cincinnati title defense.

But Gauff, with just one title in 2024, said she’d been inspired by athletes she met at the Olympics, including America’s 200m gold medallist Gabby Thomas.

She said meeting elite athletes from other sports made her realize that “what you’re feeling isn’t so isolated”.

“The nerves, you realize nerves are normal, the pressures are all normal. It doesn’t make them easier but I think it helps you know you’re not carrying the weight alone.

“I think I just learned that everything I feel, other athletes are feeling it in their sports, and they’re obviously undisputed best at what they’ve done, especially this past Olympics.”

It’s a buoying message in a frustrating season, as was a comment on her TikTok.

“It said, ‘you’ve won literally and figuratively. Why stress yourself out over a victory lap?’ I was, like, that’s actually a good perspective. No one can take that from me so why stress myself over something that I already have.

“I’m just wanting to add to that, whether it happens here in two weeks or next year here or at Australia or whatever, there’s no point.

“So I think I saw that comment, like, three days ago, and I was, like, ‘OK, I’m going to stick by that and use that’, because it really changed my perspective coming into this.”

It’s a nice change from the social media “doubters,” who Gauff says she still uses as motivation.

Despite her higher profile, the 20-year-old said her life hadn’t changed that much since her maiden Grand Slam title last year.

It was a moment she’d been preparing for since she broke through for her first WTA title at the age of 15.

“I think all that time prepped me to better prepare for this moment so I wasn’t such a deer in headlights and everything wasn’t so crazy,” she said.

“So I think now, coming in, I’m going to enjoy it.”

Gauff will start her title defence against France’s Varvara Gracheva in the first round.

Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff will headline the US Open competition, the final Grand Slam competition of the year, starting from August 26, with Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, the number one duo being the top seeds across men’s and women’s categories. The competition will be taking place till September 8. Both Gauff and Djokovic are arriving in the US for this competition with two different trajectories. Gauff has struggled as of late, holding an unremarkable record of 3-4 in her last seven matches. She could not impress a lot in the Paris Olympics as well, exiting the competition in third round, succumbing to the silver medalist Donna Vekic, as per Olympics.com.

The 20-year-old was on a roll last year this point, winning titles in Washington and Cincinnati before landing a huge victory in the US Open. It would be interesting to see how Gauff bounces back from recent setbacks in home conditions. She will be opening her campaign against France’s Varvara Gracheva, with a potential third-round clash against Elina Svitolina on the cards as well.

On the other hand, Djokovic will be chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam title after securing the landmark Paris Olympic gold medal with a win over Carlos Alcaraz, avenging his loss to him Wimbledon finals just before the summer sporting extravaganza.

Sinner had tested positive for a prohibited substance, clostebol in March, but as per an independent tribunal, he bore “no fault or negligence”. The Italian landed his first major title this year, with a triumph at Australian Open in January. He has momentum by his side as he secured the Cincinnati Open title this week and will be playing America’s Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.

In the men’s draw, Sinner and Djokovic are at the opposite sides, while the world number three and current Wimbledon champion, Olympic silver medalist Alcaraz is in the top half with Sinner. Number four seed Alexander Zverev joins Djokovic at the bottom of the draw.

Swiatek has 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in her half of the draw, while Gauff has second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Cincinnati Open title as well.

The Italian, who won his first major at the Australian Open in January and captured the Cincinnati Masters earlier this week (19 August), will face American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.

The Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen is the seventh seed, with Sabalenka a seeded quarterfinal opponent. If this match takes place, it will mark a rematch of the Australian Open final from this January, where Sabalenka emerged victorious.

US Open tennis: Schedule of play

Matches get underway daily at 1100 local New York time (EDT, GMT -4), with an evening session inside both Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums at 1900.

Monday & Tuesday, 26 & 27 August – Men’s & women’s singles first round

Wednesday & Thursday, 28 & 29 August – Singles second round; doubles underway

Friday & Saturday, 30 & 31 August – Singles third round

Sunday & Monday, 1 & 2 September – Singles fourth round

Tuesday & Wednesday, 3 & 4 September – Singles quarter-finals

Thursday, 5 September

1500 – Women’s (or mixed) doubles final

1900 – Women’s semi-finals

Friday, 6 September

1200 – Mixed (or women’s) doubles final

1500 – Men’s semi-final (one of two)

1900 – Men’s semi-final (two of two)

Saturday, 7 September

1200 – Men’s doubles final

1600 – Women’s singles final

Sunday, 8 September

1400 – Men’s singles final.

World number two Coco Gauff was sent crashing out of Wimbledon by American compatriot Emma Navarro on Sunday as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were firmly locked on an All England Club semi-final collision course. Gauff’s 6-4, 6-3 fourth round defeat means that only two of the top 10 women’s seeds are left in the tournament. Elsewhere, unheralded Lulu Sun became the first New Zealand woman to reach the last-eight at Wimbledon, while Madison Keys quit her last-16 clash in floods of tears. Navarro, ranked 19th, reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time with her defeat of US Open champion Gauff.

Gauff, who made the semi-finals at the Australian Open and French Open this year, has still to get past the last 16 at Wimbledon, the tournament, where she made her breakthrough as a 15-year-old in 2019.

Her shock defeat followed the unexpected exit of world number one Iga Swiatek in the third round on Saturday.

“I think I played really aggressively. Coco’s an amazing player and I have a ton of respect for her,” said Navarro.

Only fourth-ranked 2022 champion Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, the world number seven, remain from the top 10 women.

Paolini will be Navarro’s quarter-final opponent.

World number three Alcaraz defeated French 16th seed Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to make the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the ninth time in just 14 appearances.

However, it was another uncomfortable afternoon for the Spaniard, who had needed five sets to see off Frances Tiafoe in the third round.

His erratic performance on Sunday saw him drop serve five times and commit an uncharacteristic 33 unforced errors.

The 21-year-old, bidding to become just the sixth man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back, eased through the first set under the Centre Court roof before crucially saving four break points in the fifth game of the second.

Humbert roared back, breaking the champion three times in the third set as Alcaraz went spectacularly off the boil.

But Humbert handed over a service break in the 11th game of the fourth set and Alcaraz took full advantage to quickly seal the tie.

‘Fight to last ball’

“I will be there, fighting until the last ball,” said Alcaraz, who is chasing a fourth Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz will take on American 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.

Over on Court One, top seed Sinner moved into the last-eight with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (11/9) win over American 14th seed Ben Shelton.

Sinner, who won his maiden Slam crown at the Australian Open this year, will face Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in the semi-finals in a rematch of their final in Melbourne.

“It was a tough match, especially the third set. I had to keep saving set points,” said Sinner, a semi-finalist in 2023.

Medvedev, also a semi-finalist last year, progressed when 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov retired in the first set of their last-16 tie with a knee injury.

Sun made history for New Zealand with a three-set victory over Emma Raducanu, shattering home hopes of ending a 47-year wait for a British women’s champion.

The 23-year-old qualifier, ranked at 123, triumphed 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 over the 2021 US Open winner.

Sun hit 52 winners against Raducanu, who took a medical time-out in the third set to treat problems with her ankle and back.

“It was a great match against Emma. I really dug deep to get the win,” said Sun.

Sun will next face Croatia’s Donna Vekic, the world number 37, who clinched a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Spain’s Paula Badosa on the back of 33 winners.

‘It’s sad’

American 12th seed Keys was just one game away from a third quarter-final at the All England Club before she was forced to quit against Paolini.

After dropping the first set, Keys hit back to level the match at 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).

The 2017 US Open runner-up then raced into a 5-2 lead in the decider when she suffered a left leg injury in the eighth game.

At 5-4, she took a medical time-out, returned with her left leg bandaged but with her movement severely restricted, she wept openly on court before quitting at 5-5.

“I’m very sorry for her, it’s sad,” said French Open runner-up Paolini, who had never won a grass-court match until two weeks ago.