The US Open has reached the semi-final stage in the women’s draw with two intriguing matches in store.
Revenge will be at the forefront of Jessica Pegula’s mind when she takes on Aryna Sabalenka in the first semi-final on Thursday. It is a rematch of last year’s final in New York where the Belarusian proved too strong for the American. However, Sabalenka holds a 7–2 lead in their head-to-head record and has won their last three meetings on North American hard courts.
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The second semi-final will see Naomi Osaka play Amanda Anisimova for a place in Saturday’s final. The Japanese 23rd seed beat Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-6 to make her first US Open semi-finals since winning this tournament in 2021.
Anisimova has already savoured revenge at the tournament by stunning second seed Iga Swiatek 6–4, 6–3 on Wednesday, a win that comes two months after suffering a double-bagel loss to the Pole in the Wimbledon final.
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When did the US Open start?
Following the mixed doubles event on August 18 and 19, the singles competition got underway on Sunday, August 24. The tournament follows the Australian and French Open in becoming a 15-day competition.
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Friday’s order of play
Singles matches only; all times BST
Women’s singles
Midnight
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Jessica Pegula (4)
Naomi Osaka (23) vs Amanda Anisimova (8)
Men’s singles
Not before 8:00 PM
Carlos Alcaraz (2) vs Novak Djokovic (7)
Midnight
Jannik Sinner (1) vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (25)
Which Britons remain in the draw?
No Britons remain in the singles after Cameron Norrie lost his third-round match to Novak Djokovic late on Friday and Emma Raducanu was convincingly beaten by Elena Rybakina.
Despite reaching the second round, Jack Draper withdrew on August 27 because of an arm injury. Jacob Fearnley admitted to struggling with the noise at the US Open’s Louis Armstrong Stadium court during his second-round straight-sets defeat by Alexander Zverev late on Thursday.
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In the first round, Katie Boulter’s struggles continued as she lost 6-4, 6-4 to 27th seed Marta Kostyuk. Sonay Kartal also made an early exit and was left looking for answers after being hobbled by cramp in a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 defeat by 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Qualifier Billy Harris was beaten 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 by 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Fran Jones lost 6-0, 7-5 to Germany’s Eva Lys.
How to watch the US Open on TV and streaming in the UK
Sky Sports has the broadcasting rights to show the US Open, including the new mixed doubles, live from Flushing Meadows.
Gigi Salmon is presenting the coverage alongside Tim Henman, Laura Robson, Martina Navratilova, Marion Bartoli, Karthi Gnanasegaram, Feliciano López, Naomi Cavaday and Jonathan Overend.
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How to watch the US Open on TV in the US
ESPN has the broadcasting rights for the tournament for the 17th consecutive year. Its networks will showcase first-to-last-ball coverage, covering 170+ hours via ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
Where is the US Open held?
The home of the tournament is the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Taylor Fritz in action during last year’s final in Arthur Ashe Stadium – the US Open’s showcase court – Getty Images/Al Bello
How to buy US Open tickets
You can buy tickets here.
What is the US Open prize money?
American tennis chiefs shocked the sport by announcing a 20 per cent increase in prize money. Despite a concerted campaign from leading players to squeeze more money out of the biggest tournaments, few had expected such a dramatic step-change.
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The United States Tennis Association has created a total prize pot of $90m (£67m). The champions of the men’s and women’s singles event will each receive a hefty $5m, or £3.75m.
Such large sums threaten to make Wimbledon look underpowered. The most recent prize pot at SW19 stood at £53.5m. The All England Club seemed satisfied with this figure, which represented a seven per cent increase on 2024’s sums. But they now find themselves fully 25 per cent behind their transatlantic rivals.
Men’s and women’s singles
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Quarter-finalists: $660,000
Men’s and women’s doubles
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Quarter-finalists: $125,000
Mixed doubles
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Quarter-finalists: $100,000
When do the US Open finals take place?
The women’s final takes place on Saturday, September 6, and the men’s final the following day.
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Who are the defending champions?
Jannik Sinner was too strong for Taylor Fritz in last year’s final, winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
In the women’s showpiece, Aryna Sabalenka kept her nerve to defeat Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5.
Aryna Sabalenka will be back in New York to defend her title – Reuters/Mike Segar
Latest odds
Men’s title
Women’s title
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