In 1894—just 13 years after this tournament got its start—Labor Day became a Federal Holiday in the U.S. Created to honor the contributions of the American worker, it has traditionally been the unofficial last hurrah for summer; a day off from work to relax, unwind, throw some burgers on the grill—and maybe watch a little tennis. But over the course of these last couple of particularly tough years, Labor Day has taken on a special significance, as we’ve come to better appreciate those workers who’ve seldom gotten to relax, be they medical professionals, front-line workers, gas station attendants, grocery store clerks, or the myriad other professions whose people have kept us going through it all. We honor each and every one of you today, and we thank you for raising your game, so that we can enjoy ours.
Leading the US Open’s Labor Day workforce into fourth-round play on Day 8 are 2019 US Open women’s champ Bianca Andreescu, Olympic gold medalists Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev, former Flushing finalist Karolina Pliskova, Italy’s meraviglioso men, Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner, and ascending Americans Shelby Rogers, Reilly Opelka and Jenson Brooksby. Topping it all off is that guy in hot pursuit of history, men’s No. 1 and top seed Novak Djokovic. With week one in the books, the pursuit of tennis’ toughest title today begins in earnest. The job only gets tougher from here.
It’s been a tough road for Andreescu since she became the first Canadian ever to win a Grand Slam tournament title with her breakthrough 2019 triumph here. Since finishing first in Flushing, the 21-year-old Canadian has battled a series of injuries, sidelining her for all of 2020 and nagging her throughout the 2021 campaign as well. She reached the final of the Miami hard-court event in March, only to have to retire with an ankle injury. She then missed a chunk of the spring after testing positive for COVID19. First-round losses at Roland Garros and Wimbledon did little to build her confidence, and Andreescu stumbled into New York having won just one match in the two US Open Series events she entered.
But the former champ appears to have again found her feet on the hard floors of Flushing, and her advance to the fourth round gives her a perfect 10-0 career mark at this event. What’s more, she seems to be playing more efficient, effective tennis with each round; her third-round win lasted just a tick over an hour, with her winning 75% of her first-serve points, 80% of second-serve points, and converting four of seven break point chances.
Hoping to slow the North Star’s obvious ascent today is the No. 17 seed Maria Sakkari, who’s into the fourth round here for the second consecutive year. The 26-year-old Greek, currently at a career-high ranking of No. 18, has had a stellar season, reaching four semifinals, including a run on the red clay of Roland Garros, making her the first Greek woman to reach the semifinals of a Slam. She’s played her way to this point without the loss of a set, and her 6-4, 6-3 win over two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova in Round 3 was especially impressive.
In that match, she won 89% of her first serve points and faced only two break point—saving both.
The two women have met just once, with Andreescu winning their semifinal clash at the hard-court Miami event in March. This will be a tight one, featuring two serious sluggers. In a thrilling three, Andreescu stays perfect in Flushing; she’s on to the quarters.
Few in the history of this sport have been more perfect than Djokovic, whose every win here nudges him one step closer to history. Not since Rod Laver completed the task on the grass of Forest Hills in 1969 has a man been able to achieve tennis’ toughest task—the completion of the Grand Slam. With wins at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon this year, the 34-year-old Serb has been playing all season in rarified air. Fittingly, a win here would not only give the world No. 1 the Grand Slam, it would also give him 21 career major titles, extricating him from the three-way tie at 20 he now shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic’s next hurdle in his pursuit of history comes in the form of 20-year-old American wild card Brooksby, who’s into the fourth round here for the first time in his young career. The youngest American man to reach the fourth round here since Andy Roddick in 2002, Brooksby showed tons of toughness and tenacity in rallying back from two-sets-to-one down to upset the No. 21 seed Aslan Karatsev in Round 3. He’s had a solid summer, reaching the final of Newport and knocking off Frances Tiafoe and Feliz Auger-Aliassime en route to the semis of the Washington, D.C., hard-court event.
This has been a great run for the American, but against the relentless assault of Djokovic, it’s much easier to become history than to halt it. Djokovic’s march may yet be stopped, but it’s not likely to happen here. In three, the top seed is on to the quarterfinals.
