Alcaraz and Sabalenka reach US Open last 16 as Williams sisters fall in doubles thriller

Defending US Open singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka have moved into the fourth round with commanding victories, while tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams suffered a heartbreaking defeat during their Grand Slam doubles comeback.

Alcaraz, returning to competitive action after a four-month injury layoff, produced another impressive performance to defeat China's Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on Friday.

The Spanish star will now meet 20th-seeded American Tommy Paul for a place in the quarterfinals.

Paul booked his spot in the last 16 after overcoming 15th-seeded Alexander Bublik in a five-set battle, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-3.

Alcaraz was forced to work for his victory against Wu, who recovered an early break in each of the opening two sets.

However, the Spaniard responded strongly on both occasions, breaking serve late in the sets before taking control of the contest.

Wu threatened again at the start of the third set, earning two break points, but Alcaraz held firm and then took complete command.

"I think my level is really good," Alcaraz said afterwards. "I've got into the rhythm of the competition. I'm getting there."

He also praised Wu's ability to strike the ball aggressively and create an awkward rhythm for his opponents.

"I think I stayed there. I played aggressive. I played smart in the toughest moments," Alcaraz said.

Sabalenka marches on

World number one Sabalenka also advanced without dropping a set, defeating Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4.

The Belarusian produced 29 winners and 10 aces and did not face a single break point throughout the match.

Despite the scoreline, Rakhimova, ranked 92nd in the world, pushed Sabalenka hard during an intense second set.

Sabalenka was also distracted by the smell of marijuana coming from the stands, an issue that has increasingly attracted attention at the US Open.

The defending champion raised the matter with the chair umpire during the match.

"It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best," Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka must successfully defend her title if she is to retain the world number-one ranking.

Her next opponent will be American Taylor Townsend, ranked 96th, who defeated 15th-seeded Russian Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3.

Williams sisters denied in dramatic return

The evening session brought the highly anticipated return of Serena and Venus Williams to Grand Slam doubles action.

The sisters were playing together at a major tournament for the first time since 2022, with Serena having recently ended a four-year retirement to compete at Wimbledon.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and Venus, who have collected 14 major doubles titles together and three Olympic gold medals, came agonisingly close to victory.

The 14th-seeded pairing of Taiwan's Chan Hao-ching and Australia's Maya Joint eventually prevailed 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/7) after a marathon contest lasting three hours.

The Williams sisters appeared to have regained control after losing the opening set, forcing the match into a deciding set by winning the second-set tie-break.

A passionate New York crowd then roared them on as they surged to a 5-0 advantage in the deciding tie-break.

But Chan and Joint refused to surrender.

The pair produced a remarkable comeback, winning the next points to erase the deficit before completing a dramatic victory.

Pegula survives as Muchova falls

Third-seeded American Jessica Pegula kept her title hopes alive with a determined comeback against former finalist Leylah Fernandez.

Pegula lost the opening set 6-1 but recovered to defeat the Canadian 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Her victory is significant in the battle for the world number-one ranking, with Pegula among the players capable of challenging Sabalenka's position.

Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk also advanced, defeating Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2.

American Emma Navarro produced one of the day's notable upsets by eliminating seventh-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova 6-3, 7-5.

In the men's draw, American 11th seed Frances Tiafoe comfortably defeated Monaco's 22nd-seeded Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

Tiafoe now faces a major test against seventh-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev, who progressed with a straight-sets victory over France's Arthur Rinderknech.

Medvedev won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a match lasting less than two hours.

Meanwhile, former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his resurgence by eliminating 18th seed Jiri Lehecka.

The unseeded Greek, whose ranking has fallen to 53rd, recovered from losing the opening set to win 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1.

Tsitsipas will next meet American eighth seed Ben Shelton, who defeated Canada's Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 in a late-night battle.

With the tournament moving into its second week, Alcaraz and Sabalenka remain firmly in contention to defend their titles, while the Williams sisters' emotional return to Grand Slam doubles has come to an end.