Naomi, Iga bring heat

NAOMI Osaka and Iga Swiatek powered into the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Monday (Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, PH time), reminding everyone why each has held the world’s No. 1 ranking.

Osaka looked sharp in her long-awaited return to the big stage, dispatching Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in their marquee clash inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Swiatek, meanwhile, shook off a slow start to rally past Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1.

“At the beginning, I felt like she was playing really fast,” said Swiatek, who is chasing her second U.S. Open crown and seventh Grand Slam title. “I wanted to find my rhythm, but later on I really felt like I was in my bubble and in my zone.”

For Osaka, this marks her first trip to a Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2021. She will next face 11th seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic with a semifinal berth on the line. Swiatek awaits the winner between American Amanda Anisimova and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia.

“The girls play late, so there’s no point now for me to overthink who I’m going to play,” Swiatek said. “I’ll just see who wins and then prepare.”

On the men’s side, top-seeded Jannik Sinner produced one of the most lopsided victories of the tournament, dismantling Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in just 1 hour and 21 minutes — the second-shortest completed match of the event.

Sinner had lost to Bublik in June on the grass courts of Halle, Germany, but Monday’s hard-court rematch was no contest.

The defending U.S. Open champion extended his streak to 25 consecutive Grand Slam wins on hard courts, a run that includes titles at the last two Australian Opens and his breakthrough New York triumph last year.

The Italian will next face countryman Lorenzo Musetti, the No. 10 seed, in Wednesday’s (Thursday in PH) quarterfinals. That same day, No. 8 Alex de Minaur meets No. 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who downed 15th seed Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

The Canadian prevailed for just the second time in nine career meetings with Rublev, who vented his frustration by slamming his racket during the second set.

“As I won the first set, I felt like I was in control of the match,” said Auger-Aliassime, a four-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist at age 25. “It’s a good win considering our head-to-head and how strong he is as a player.”

Elsewhere, Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez booked a spot in the women’s doubles quarterfinals by defeating the 12th-seeded pair of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai.

In Tuesday’s (Wednesday in PH) action, second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz takes on Jiri Lehecka, while American Taylor Fritz battles four-time U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic in the men’s quarterfinals.

On the women’s side, Jessica Pegula faces Barbora Krejcikova, and top seed Aryna Sabalenka goes up against Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. / FROM THE WIRES