Novak Djokovic moved into his record 64th Grand Slam quarterfinal after a straight-sets victory over qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. The 38-year-old, a 24-time major champion, appeared to be in control early but felt a twinge in his neck midway through the opening set.

Djokovic was up 4-0, 15-love when he hit an angled volley to make it 30-love and immediately grabbed the back of his neck, turning his head. He continued to stretch his neck and flex his right shoulder between points and dropped that game and the next before regaining command of the match.

Struff, the 144th-ranked qualifier who had beaten Frances Tiafoe in the previous round, was seeking his first major quarterfinal. Djokovic improved to 8-0 against Struff with the win.

After closing out the first set, Djokovic received treatment from a trainer during the changeover, including a massage to his neck and shoulder. He also had his right forearm massaged during the subsequent break. Earlier in the tournament, trainers had treated him for blisters on a foot in the first round and for a lower-back issue in the third.

Djokovic’s health issues did not visibly affect his play once points were in progress, and he finished the match without further incident. He now heads into a quarterfinal scheduled for Tuesday against 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz.

Fritz, the No. 4 seed and the last American man remaining in the draw, reached the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory Sunday over No. 21 Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic. Djokovic will carry a 10-0 head-to-head record into that quarterfinal encounter.

Jiri Lehecka enters a Grand Slam quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz with recent experience and renewed perspective. The No. 20 seed, who upset Alcaraz earlier this year at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, said he will rely on focus and his own strengths rather than a single tactical trick.

“No,” he joked at the end of his post-match press conference on Sunday. “I mean, of course, against a player like Carlos you need to bring your best, and it means that it’s not only about playing one particular shot, because he knows how to react. That’s his big weapon. You know, that he knows how to react when someone is playing well, when someone is playing this or that.

“So, you need to bring your best. You need to be well-focused through the whole match. That’s something what I will try to do, to play my game.”

This will be Lehecka’s second Grand Slam quarterfinal and his first since the 2023 Australian Open. He first signaled his potential as a 21-year-old, when he reached a major quarterfinal by toppling seeds Cameron Norrie and Félix Auger-Aliassime in only his fifth Grand Slam main draw. After rising steadily in the rankings, he stalled just outside the top 20 before an injury lay-off helped reframe his priorities.

“I think that I needed to grow up a little bit as a person,” Lehecka revealed after a four-set victory over Adrian Mannarino. “I’m more mature now, I think, and I think that’s also part of the game. You know, to realize that tennis isn’t everything, that there are also other things in life, and the way I see it is I think that we are kind of privileged that we have the chance to compete, you know, to do what we like, what we love, and to bring that in front of all the guys. But at the same time when I’m on the court, I’m not getting myself under more pressure than is necessary.”

“Back then I remember that I was coming for a treatment to the hospital, and I saw little kids who were very, very sick, and they were enjoying life, and I was, like, feeling like that it’s the end of the world for me, and I can’t play only because my back hurts.

“That was the moment when I really, like, something switched. Since that moment I kind of feel that, of course, I love to win. I like to play the game. It’s something I wake up every morning with the goal to improve, and I think all the players here at the biggest stage, they have the same.”

Lehecka also described adjustments to suit the surface at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and cited recent form that includes a first ATP 500 final at Queen’s Club and a three-set match with Alcaraz earlier this summer.

“In the last few years, I didn’t really feel myself in New York,” Lehecka told me after reaching the fourth round on Friday. “I didn’t really feel the surface was right for me. Hard courts are good, but at the same time I didn’t really like the bounces or how rough the surface is. It wasn’t fitting my game that much, so that’s why we were focusing this year in our preparation to adjust a few things, to work a little bit more on my forehand and how I approach the ball.

“I must say that the only performance where I wasn’t really feeling good was the first round against Borna, which, of course was a tough match because he’s a very experienced player. It was also a first-round match, so you never know what tot expect. Since that moment, I added a couple more practices and with every match I’m feeling better and better, so I’m very happy with the progress.”

“I must say that I’m very happy that I had a chance to play against him this year already twice…Of course, I know that he’s playing very good tennis. He’s moving very well. He can serve big. He knows everything. His game is complete, I would say.

“So, for me I will just try to stick to the weapons that I have, to the weapons which worked for me in these last two matchups. We will see, of course. We have never played each other on a Grand Slam stage. So that’s something new for me and for him as well, because we played each other only on, let’s say, smaller tournaments. I think that the match will be great, and I can’t wait for it.”

Carlos Alcaraz extended his run at the US Open with a composed, crowd-pleasing victory over Arthur Rinderknech as he moved above Jannik Sinner in the live ATP Rankings. The 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph on Sunday in New York put Alcaraz into the quarter-finals without dropping a set and left him one match away from surpassing the 10,000-point mark.

Alcaraz produced a series of flash moments that repeatedly unsettled Rinderknech, including an unconventional winner struck after he tossed his racket behind his back. He also altered his court position to stand deep and reduce Rinderknech’s serving advantage, then raised his level when required to close out the match.

This was a performance that combined entertainment with efficiency and left Alcaraz smiling as he reflected on the win.

“At the beginning of the first set, it was tight. We didn’t have great points in the first set and it didn’t mean we were serving good because the percentage was really, really bad from both,” said Alcaraz.

“I just got the good rhythm from the second set, and into good positions for the return. I tried to make the most of the opportunities he brought to the match. He gave me not too many.

“But I’m just really happy that at those points, I just played really good tennis, aggressive, that I really enjoyed.”

Alcaraz also spoke about his appetite for producing highlight shots and the impact of the crowd.

“If I have the opportunity [to produce special shots], why not? I think the people like it,” he added. “I like playing tennis like this, so it just comes naturally.

“I always try to bring the most special shots during matches and I think my style of tennis fits pretty well to the energy here in New York.

“Every time I step on the court for a match or training, people are always there, and the energy is special.

“The people are always there, enjoying tennis, bringing the best energy possible to the match. So I just love it.

“I think that’s why I play my best tennis here in New York.”

Alcaraz now faces Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals. A win there would guarantee he reaches at least 10,000 ranking points by the end of the tournament. The larger prize remains the US Open title and the world No 1 ranking it would secure; Sinner would need to lift the trophy to prevent his reign ending at the conclusion of this event.