US Open Tennis 2023 Results: Instant Reactions to Winners and Losers from Thursday

Five of the top American tennis players advanced to the third round of the 2023 US Open in fine form.

Madison Keys, the No. 17 seed in the women's singles draw, joined Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul as Americans seeded in the top 20 to qualify for the third round on Thursday afternoon. Jessica Pegula can make it a perfect 6-for-6 for the American top 20 seeds with a win on Thursday night.

Keys produced her second straight-set victory at the USTA National Tennis Center to set her up with No. 14 seed Liudmila Samsonova in the only confirmed matchup of top 20 seeds in the women's third round.

No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka also looked strong on Thursday afternoon, as she needed 74 minutes to cruise into the third round.

The excitement in the men's singles draw is starting to build now that Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, the No. 6 and 12 seeds, are one win away from facing each other in a blockbuster fourth-round contest.

Only one of those two players will get a chance to challenge top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. The winner of that potential fourth-round showdown could provide the first real challenge to the reigning champion.

Thursday Results

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 31: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus returns a shot against Jodie Burrage of Great Britain during their Women's Singles Second Round match on Day Four of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2023 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Men's Singles

No. 6 Jannik Sinner def. Lorenzo Sonego, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

No. 12 Alexander Zverev def. Daniel Altmaier, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

No. 13 Alex De Minaur def. Wu Yibing, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1

No. 16 Cameron Norrie def. Hsu Yu-hsiou, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4

Jack Draper def. No. 17 Hubert Hurkacz, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5

No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov def. Andy Murray, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1

Women's Singles

No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka def. Jodie Burrage, 6-3, 6-2

No. 9 Marketa Vondrousova def. Martina Trevisan, 6-2, 6-2

No. 14 Liudmila Samsonova def. Tamara Korpatsch, 6-3, 6-3

No. 17 Madison Keys def. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-1, 6-2

No. 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Lesia Tsurenko, 6-1, 6-3

No. 23 Zheng Qinwen def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2

Clara Burel def. No. 25 Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 6-2

No. 26 Elina Svitolina def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4

Aryna Sabalenka, Madison Keys Advance in Straight Sets

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

USA's Madison Keys hits a returns to Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer during the US Open tennis tournament women's singles second round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 31, 2023. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

The title contenders alongside Sabalenka are starting to show themselves in the bottom half of the women's singles bracket.

Sabalenka is expected to make another deep Grand Slam run, but who she faces along that path came into question at the start of the tournament.

Keys has emerged as the best American threat to Sabalenka other than Pegula in the bottom half. The 2017 US Open finalist and 2018 US Open semifinalist has not dropped a set in two matches.

The pair of strong performances should prepare Keys for her third-round matchup against Samsonova. That is one of four confirmed seeded matchups in the women's third round.

If Pegula wins on Thursday night, that will be the only portion of the draw that holds true to form. No. 26 seed Elina Svitolina awaits Pegula, the No. 3 seed, in the third round.

The rest of the bottom half looks wide open with No. 7 Caroline Garcia out in the first round and No. 5 seed Ons Jabeur not looking her best yet in New York.

A third-round win from Keys could set up an all-American clash in the fourth round with Pegula.

As of Thursday afternoon, Keys, Pegula and Gauff lead a collection of seven American women still alive in the tournament.

Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev Move One Win Away from Fourth Round Showdown

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 31: Jannik Sinner of Italy returns a shot against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy during their Men's Singles Second Round match on Day Four of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2023 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Sinner and Zverev are one win each away from setting up the first of a few potential blockbuster matches in the men's singles draw.

Sinner, who has not lost a set in two rounds, advanced to the quarterfinals in four of the last seven Grand Slams.

Zverev is back to the high level of form he was in before the ankle injury he suffered at the 2022 French Open.

The 12th-seeded German was a US Open finalist in 2020 and made it back to the semifinals in 2021. He did not play in 2022 because of his injury.

Zverev beat fellow German Daniel Altmaier in four sets on Thursday to set up a clash with No. 19 seed Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.

Dimitrov typically fares well in the first two rounds at Grand Slam events, but he has not made it past the fourth round since the 2021 Australian Open. Zverev should be favored to win the third-round contest.

Sinner will face either No. 30 Tomas Etcheverry or Stan Wawrinka in the third round. He will be a significant favorite against either player.

The highest seeds in the top half of the men's draw, Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will be in action on Thursday night.