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Taylor Fritz is hoping that a return to the Grand Slam stage will be just the catalyst he needs to shrug of back-to-back early defeats at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati.

Making his ninth main draw appearance at the US Open, Fritz is excited to be back in New York and the Grand Slam stage, on which he has enjoyed consistent success this year, reaching quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and the fourth round of Roland Garros.

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The California native and recent winner of the double bronze medal at the Paris Olympics (with Tommy Paul) is currently the highest-ranked American in the PIF ATP Rankings, sitting at No. 12. Despite winning just one match during Montreal and Cincinnati with defeats to compatriots Brandon Nakashima and Sebastian Korda, Fritz is “hoping to have a big week” at the US Open.

“Obviously really excited to be here. It's, like, the biggest week for the U.S. players,” said last year’s US Open quarter-finalist during his pre-tournament press conference Friday.

“Yeah, it was my first slam, quarter-final here. It's just a good feeling. I think last year I was coming in here, just felt like I just needed a result at a slam, because the slam results were just really poor last year. So I felt like I needed a good result.

The smile on Diego Schwartzman’s face said it all Thursday afternoon. The Argentine had just successfully battled through qualifying into the US Open main draw, the first time he has won through major qualifying since 2014 at Roland Garros.

The emotion on the 32-year-old’s face as he held his arms in the air was reminiscent of when he won his four ATP Tour titles more than someone qualifying for a tournament. But there was a reason why.

This US Open will be Schwartzman’s final Grand Slam tournament and he is eager to make it a special one.

“Some games during the match, I [was] feeling like, ‘This is the last time, so okay, be quiet and just enjoy’, not feeling like the way that a competitor is supposed to be in the match,” Schwartzman said. “I think I did very well the last three matches, and that's why I won. At the end, you have to play much better than than the opponent. And I think I did. I did great. I found a way to to play with [those] emotions.”

In May, Schwartzman announced his plan to retire in Argentina next February. It will bring to a close a memorable career in which the Argentine has won 250 tour-level matches, competed in the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020 and ascended to No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

American Alex Michelsen will hope to celebrate the passing of his teenage years a day early on Saturday when he plays for his first ATP Tour title in the final of the Winston-Salem Open.

The #NextGenATP star, who turns 20 on Sunday, was leading Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6(5), 2-1 when the Spaniard retired.

“Really unfortunate. I know he has been struggling with injuries for a couple of years. He is a great player, [former] Top 10, and I thought he was playing at a pretty good level today,” Michelsen said.

Michelsen, who was the beaten finalist in Newport the past two years, cracked the Top 50 by reaching the championship match in North Carolina, rising to a career-high No. 49 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“It’s not the way I wanted to get to the final, I wanted to win it the right way,” said Michelsen, who will meet Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the final.

Jannik Sinner is the top seed at the US Open, where he will try to claim his second major title. The Italian took the tennis world by storm at this year’s Australian Open, where he lifted his first Grand Slam trophy.

Before the 23-year-old plays Mackenzie McDonald in the first round at Flushing Meadows, ATPTour.com looks at five fast facts from his career thus far at the US Open.

Sinner qualified for a major for the first time in New York
Hardcore fans remember well Sinner’s first qualifying match at a major, which came in 2019 at Wimbledon. He lost a tight encounter to Australian Alex Bolt.

But then a teen, the Italian qualified for his first major main draw two months later at the US Open. The 18-year-old defeated Matteo Viola, former training partner Viktor Galovic and Mario Vilella Martinez to reach the field of 128.

Memorable Alcaraz classic
One of the best matches from any tournament in recent memory was the 2022 US Open quarter-final between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Frances Tiafoe is back and is fired up for his favourite tournament of the season.

“I'm super excited to be here,” he said to the media at Flushing Meadows ahead of the US Open.

After a slow start to the year, the American’s confidence has returned just in time for the final slam of the year in New York City, following a runner-up finish to No.1 Jannik Sinner at the Cincinnati Open last week.

“I think the one thing you see is a lot more joy and excitement when I'm playing when I'm really confident. The level of fear I instill in my opponent, for sure,” the American said.

“I find I'm much more aggressive, much more sure of myself. I get the crowd into it, play with much more passion, energy, than when I'm not. I think it's two different Franceses for sure.”

Julian Cash and Robert Galloway held their nerve in a Match Tie-break Friday to reach the Winston-Salem Open final.

The British-American team rallied past Jamie Murray and John Peers 5-7, 7-5, 10-8 after one hour, 28 minutes, during which Cash and Galloway were two points from defeat at 8/8 in the Match Tie-break.

Already champions this season in Delray Beach and Mallorca, Cash and Galloway will meet fourth seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, who defeated wild cards Luca Pow and Dhakshineswar Suresh 6-4, 6-2 after dropping just seven points on serve.

Lammons and Withrow are chasing their third title of the North American hard-court swing, having lifted the trophy in Atlanta and Washington. They are ninth in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings as they seek to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, where last year they served as alternates.

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At the year's final Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic will bid to back up his first Olympic gold medal with his first major title of 2024. The defending US Open champion must fend off competition from Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have combined to win each of the year's first three majors. 

Apart from the top three players in the PIF ATP Rankings, other New York contenders include 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev and 2020 finalist Alexander Zverev. A host of Americans will also threaten on home soil, led by Top 20 stars Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe.

ATPTour.com breaks down 10 things to watch at the hard-court Grand Slam.

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1. Djokovic's title defence: Djokovic enters the US Open on the heels of winning his first Olympic gold medal in Paris — a feat that completed a career Golden Slam for the Serbian. The 37-year-old has not competed since he beat Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in the Olympic final and will return to hard courts for the first time since Indian Wells in New York. 

If he wins his record-extending 25th Grand Slam men's singles title, Djokovic will also extend his streak to seven years with at least one major crown. From 2011-23, he was shut out at the Slams just once (2017).

Carlos Alcaraz will begin his quest for a fifth major trophy Tuesday at the US Open, where the Spaniard kickstarts the evening session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, not before 7 p.m., against Australian Li Tu.

Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner is aiming to sweep this year's hard-court Slams. The Italian, No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, meets American Mackenzie McDonald during the Ashe day session, second match from 11 a.m. following the WTA match between Iga Swiatek and Kamilla Rakhimova. Sinner leads McDonald 3-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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Top seed Sinner and 2022 champion Alcaraz are on a semi-final collision course. Their 2022 quarter-final at Flushing Meadows featured five sets of thrilling exchanges that is largely considered one of the greatest matches in recent memory.

Also on Tuesday's card, 2020 Nitto ATP Finals titlist and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev starts against Serbian Dusan Lajovic on Louis Armstrong Stadium, where later home favourite Tommy Paul faces Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Fans awaiting word on what time Novak Djokovic will play his first-round match Monday at the US Open now have their answer. The defending champion will play Radu Albot under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, second match from 7:00 p.m. following the WTA match between Sloane Stephens and Clara Burel.

Djokovic, aiming for his fifth trophy at the American slam, has not competed since capturing the Paris Olympics gold medal, which completed the 37-year-old’s ‘Career Golden Slam’. Monday will mark Djokovic’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with tour-veteran Albot, World No. 138 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

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Kickstarting the two-week tournament on Ashe will be a first-round blockbuster between 13th seed Ben Shelton and 2020 titlist Dominic Thiem. Last year’s semi-finalist Shelton is on a fourth-round collision course with Djokovic, who ended the American’s dream run a year ago.

Two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev, seeded fourth, will also be first on at 11 a.m. local time against Finn Emil Ruusuvuori. Sixth seed Andrey Rublev meets Thiago Seyboth Wild. Other Top 10 seeds in action include 2022 finalist Casper Ruud against China's Buyunchaokete and Grigor Dimitrov, who starts versus Frenchman Kyrian Jacquet.

American No. 1 Taylor Fritz meets Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli on Louis Armstrong Stadium, where later 20th seed Frances Tiafoe faces Aleksandar Kovacevic.

First-serve statistics have always been split into two categories. Would it provide greater clarity to blend first-serves made and first-serves won into one match metric called first-serve rating?

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the two traditional first-serve statistics identifies that they tell a good story in their own right, but an improved narrative emerges once they are blended as one. A breakdown of the current Top 10 over the past 52 weeks sheds light on what a Serve Rating actually looks like.

Alexander Zverev is the peak performer with first-serves made over the past 52 weeks at an astonishing 72.4 per cent. He is about six percentage points clear of his closest rival Carlos Alcaraz (66.6 per cent), and well clear of the Top 10 average of 63.8 per cent. Zverev is on a first-serve planet all on his own.

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But Zverev only comes in sixth place in the data set when you examine points won behind his first serve, at 75.2 per cent. Hubert Hurkacz, at 78.5 per cent, was the leader in this specific category. Also ahead of Zverev were Jannik Sinner (78.3 per cent), Grigor Dimitrov (78.1 per cent), Novak Djokovic (76.2 per cent) and Andrey Rublev (76.0 per cent).

Thursday was one of the most special days of Eliot Spizzirri’s life. The 22-year-old American defeated #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca in a three-set thriller to qualify for the US Open main draw for the first time.

After the match, Spizzirri was cooling down in the gym by himself and going through his post-match stretching routine when he received a pleasant surprise. Actor Matthew McConaughey had posted a message congratulating him on his success.

“Longhorn @espizz11 onto the @usopen main draw. #hookem” McConaughey wrote.

Longhorn @espizz11 onto the @usopen main draw. #hookem

— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) August 22, 2024

The celebrity earned a film degree from the University of Texas, where Spizzirri was a standout on the university’s tennis team.

When Christopher Eubanks captured his maiden ATP Tour title in Mallorca last year, the American needed to escape an opening round three-setter against Alex Michelsen before eventually lifting the trophy. The 19-year-old Michelsen avenged that loss Thursday at the Winston-Salem Open with a narrow 7-5, 6-7(6), 7-6(5) win as he continues his own quest for his first tour-level crown.

Will Michelsen's tight victory in North Carolina also prove the springboard to his first ATP Tour title?

Celebrating his 20th birthday on Sunday, Michelsen was two points from victory at 6/6 in the second-set tie-break, but was forced to a decider. Producing clean hitting and several acute angle passing shots by the 6'7" Eubanks, the teen held his nerve to advance after two hours, 29 minutes.

"I thought we both played pretty well, it was a high-quality match," Michelsen said. "When he was coming up with no-look volley winners, it wasn't that fun for me, but I'm sure it was fun for everybody else. It was a battle.

"I was just going to keep going after my shots and I'm glad it paid off. In the second-set tie-break, I missed a couple shots that were a little bit regrettable. In the third-set breaker, I felt like I didn't miss too many shots."

Four-time champion Novak Djokovic will begin his US Open on Monday, while World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and 2022 titlist Carlos Alcaraz will begin their tournament on Tuesday.

The full Monday order of play is still to be made, but Djokovic and the bottom half will compete on Day 1, followed by players in the top half of the draw on Day 2.

In the bottom half of the draw Monday, Djokovic will face a qualifier, fourth seed Alexander Zverev will play Emil Ruusuvuori, sixth seed Andrey Rublev will take on Thiago Seyboth Wild and Casper Ruud will try to advance past a qualifier.

In the top half of the draw Tuesday, Sinner will play Mackenzie McDonald for the fourth time in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series (Sinner leads 3-0), Alcaraz will face a qualifier, former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will play Dusan Lajovic and seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz will open against a qualifier.

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Home hope Eliot Spizzirri advanced to his first major main draw Thursday when he survived #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca 7-6(8), 6-7(5), 6-4 in the final round of US Open qualifying. The American squandered four match points in the second set, but quickly rebounded and held his nerve in a thrilling back-and-forth battle.

Spizzirri won 75 per cent of his first-serve points as he defeated the Brazilian in two hours and 36 minutes.

The American let slip a 0/40 lead on Fonseca's serve at 5-4 in the second set and again held a match point later that game after Fonseca brought it to deuce.

Spizzirri, a native of nearby Greenwich, Connecticut, let out a sigh of relief and a loud roar after converting his sixth match point to close out the match in the decider.

The 22-year-old finished as No. 1 in the ITA final singles ranking in May for the second consecutive year. In 2023, the University of Texas graduate reached the third round of US Open qualifying.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are on a semi-final collision course at the US Open, it was revealed on Thursday afternoon when the draw was released.

Sinner and Alcaraz played in one of the most memorable matches in recent memory in the 2022 US Open quarter-finals, when they battled late into the night for more than five hours before the Spaniard prevailed. Alcaraz went on to lift the trophy and become World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

If they meet this year, it will be in the last four. Top seed Sinner will begin his tournament against American Mackenzie McDonald, against whom he owns a 3-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head record. They most recently met in last year’s Rolex Paris Masters, where the Italian prevailed in three sets.

Second seed Novak Djokovic and third seed Alcaraz will both begin their tournament against a qualifier.

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The ATP and WTA, in collaboration with NACON and Big Ant Studios, are thrilled to announce the official release of TIEBREAK: The Official Game of the ATP and WTA. Available now on multiple platforms, TIEBREAK offers tennis fans an unparalleled gaming experience, featuring over 120 of the world’s greatest players and 90 official tournaments.

TIEBREAK brings the world of professional tennis to life with realistic gameplay based on real-world analytics. Players can compete in various game modes, including Career mode, where they can set out to conquer the PIF ATP and WTA Rankings at tournaments including ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events, the Nitto ATP Finals and the WTA Finals Riyadh.

TIEBREAK features more than 120 current and former stars, playable with their distinctive styles, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Coco Gauff, Rafael Nadal, Jasmine Paolini, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sharapova, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and many more. Additionally, the unique Novak Djokovic Slam Challenge mode lets fans relive some of the most memorable moments from the legendary player’s career.

View Trailer:

Daniele Sanò, Chief Business Officer, ATP, said: “TIEBREAK offers tennis and gaming fans a thrilling way to experience the ATP Tour and Hologic WTA Tour. This collaboration also marks an important milestone in our shared storytelling – and mission to create compelling unified experiences for our global community. We’re proud to continue that journey of digital innovation together, with this captivating game now in the hands of our fans.”

In tennis, the closing bell is when the chair umpire calls, “Game, set and match”. Hubert Hurkacz and Ons Jabeur participated in a different version of it Wednesday in Manhattan.

The ATP and WTA star visited the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square to ring the Closing Bell alongside USTA Chairman of the Board and President Dr. Brian Hainline and USTA CEO Lew Sherr.

“It was so cool. Didn't know what to expect coming here. That was just so much fun,” Hurkacz told ATPTour.com. “Obviously Nasdaq is so big. To take part in such an event that is really well known around the world is special. To see your face in Times Square is a little bit surreal.”

Hurkacz and Jabeur spoke to Nasdaq representatives, conducted social media interviews and did a dress rehearsal for the Closing Bell before the real thing. As they performed the task at 4 p.m. local time, people from around the world watched on television and streams.

"It was super fun being here today to ring the closing bell at Nasdaq,” Jabeur said. “It was a fun experience, I'd never done that before. There is always fun stuff to do [for] the first time. It was very nice to start the week in New York here."

#NextGenATP Joao Fonseca celebrated his 18th birthday Wednesday in style. The Brazilian advanced to the final round of qualifying at the US Open, where he dropped just three points behind his first serve en route to a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Frenchman Calvin Hemery.

Last year's US Open boys' singles champion's birthday gift was the constant chants from the Court 8 crowd, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”

Now one win away from competing in his maiden major main draw, Fonseca will face American Eliot Spizzirri in the third round. Spizzirri in May finished No. 1 in the ITA final singles rankings for the second consecutive year. The University of Texas graduate beat Belgian Joris De Loore 7-5, 7-6(5) to advance.

Fonseca, sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, won his first ATP Challenger Tour title this month in Lexington, Kentucky. He is aiming for his maiden trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December. 

Fellow #NextGenATP star Vilius Gaubas also advanced to the final round of qualifying. The Lithuanian defeated French veteran Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4. After the match, there was an on-court presentation to honour Gasquet in his farewell US Open.

Past US Open champions and fans' favourites treated an Arthur Ashe crowd to superstar matchups and hilarious mic'd-up interactions during Wednesday evening's Stars of the Open at Flushing Meadows.

If bright smiles could have secured a victory, Carlos Alcaraz and Andre Agassi could have easily stated their case, but it was the pair of four-time US Open singles champions, Novak Djokovic and John McEnroe, who defeated the Spaniard-American duo 10-8 at the Fan Week exhibition. Italians Matteo Berrettini and Jasmine Paolini began the night by defeating Sebastian Korda and Iga Swiatek 11-9.

This point literally had everything ? pic.twitter.com/sNe10aTTTR

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 22, 2024

Juan Martin del Potro, former World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, made a grand return to Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 2009 titlist, who earlier practised with Djokovic, partnered fellow Argentine Gabriela Sabatini to an 11-9 win against Andy Roddick and Caroline Wozniacki.

Home favourites Sloane Stephens and Frances Tiafoe closed the night with a 10-6 victory against actor Boris Kodjoe and Taylor Townsend.

#NextGenATP Alex Michelsen led a teenage American charge Wednesday at the Winston-Salem Open, where the 19-year-old raced past Belgian Zizou Bergs 6-1, 6-2.

Competing this week at a career-high No. 52 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the 11th seed is into his sixth quarter-final of the season. Michelsen fended off the three break points he faced, all of which came in the opening set, and dropped just three points behind his first serve in the second set to advance.

"It was a good match. I played very well, didn't get broken, which for me is always a plus," said Michelsen, who next faces Christopher Eubanks. "I'm returning well right now, so hopefully I can give [Chris] some trouble tomorrow.

"I've been playing well the last couple weeks. The last match I lost was to Jannik [Sinner], so I feel like I'm playing pretty well right now."

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The California native, who celebrates his 20th birthday Sunday, is second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. He is aiming for a return trip to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December. Last year Michelsen did not advance beyond the round-robin stage.