NEW YORK, September 3, 2026– In light of the initial rain interruptions to the tournament at Flushing Meadows, Aryna Sabalenka and Frances Tiafoe provided two of the more decisive statements on Day Four with their victories in straight sets as the U.S. Open caught up on its backlog of matches.
Serving as the world No. 1 and the two-time defending champion, Sabalenka required just 53 minutes to dispose of the qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The victory advanced her into the third round and ensured her quest for an unprecedented third U.S. Open title remains on track.
Sabalenka never looked back, staying in control from start to finish. The Belarusian blasted 24 winners compared to just three by her opponent and also broke the serve six times—three times in each set, according to the match report of WTA.
Over on Louis Armstrong Stadium, 11th seed Frances Tiafoe maintained his momentum to secure a hard-fought second-round win against Japan’s Rei Sakamoto, closing out the contest 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-5. Navigating his second-round test under the covered roof allowed Tiafoe to avoid the growing schedule logjam affecting the outer courts.
It wasn’t easy. Navigating the weather disruptions required players to stay locked in despite shifting start times and unpredictable conditions across Flushing Meadows. The contrast between playing inside the covered show courts and waiting out rain delays on the outside courts highlighted the logistical tightrope tournament officials faced as they worked to clear the backlog.
Tiafoe faced a more sustained examination at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Sakamoto, a qualifier, produced 18 aces and kept the second set close. But Tiafoe protected the major points and got it done.
His victory took on extra weight after a brutal five-set struggle to overcome Martin Damm in round one, which stretched well over three hours.
Instead of fading, Tiafoe stayed focused. He dealt with Sakamoto’s big serve, generated four break point chances, and converted all four. While the covered courts allowed some consistency, matches taking place on outdoor courts were interrupted and delayed. Those roofs are basically gold dust on rainy days. While the U.S. Open’s retractable roofs can’t fix every schedule headache, they’re as close to a lock as top players can get.
However, their advantage is temporary. With the draw condensed and the matches yet to be played needing court time, the other players’ path through the next rounds becomes even more difficult.
At this moment, however, both Sabalenka and Tiafoe managed to cope with the disruption in their own ways: the former by dominating her opponent, and the latter by making sure a challenging week got even longer.
