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.

Barbora Krejcikova survived a dramatic second set and a gruelling final match to defeat Taylor Townsend 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3 and advance at the US Open. Townsend could not convert eight match points in a second set that ended with a 25-minute tiebreaker, while Krejcikova erased seven match points during that breaker.

Fans chanted “Let’s go Taylor! Let’s go Taylor!” as Townsend repeatedly came within a point of her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, erased a match point with a backhand that landed on the line to erase the fifth match point and later broke Townsend twice in the third set to seal the victory.

Krejcikova will face No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula next. “To be honest, I’m totally enjoying this crowd. Even though it’s not for me, it’s for the Americans, it’s fine,” Krejcikova said in her on-court interview. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again in my next match—I think against another American.”

The match lasted 3 hours, 4 minutes, with the second set alone taking 98 minutes. Krejcikova arrived in the fourth round after rallying past 10th-seeded Emma Navarro in the third round in 2 1/2 hours.

Townsend, in her 31st Grand Slam appearance, has never been closer to reaching the last eight. Her only other run to the fourth round came in 2019, when she lost to Bianca Andreescu. After the loss she hugged Krejcikova at the net, sat in her sideline chair and began crying before leaving the court to a standing ovation while dabbing her eyes with a towel.

Townsend remains in the women’s doubles draw as the No. 1-seeded team with Katerina Siniakova, who won a career Grand Slam in doubles with Krejcikova during their partnership. Townsend was involved earlier in the tournament in a confrontation with Jelena Ostapenko after her second-round victory; Ostapenko told her she had “no class” and “no education” and later apologized in a social media post.

Taylor Townsend endured a heartbreaking exit from the US Open after surrendering eight match points against Barbora Krejcikova and losing 1-6, 7-6(13), 6-3. The world No 1 doubles player had been the tournament’s most visible story at Flushing Meadows in 2025, combining eye-catching singles form with a heated row with Jelena Ostapenko that kept her in the headlines.

With her four-year-old son AJ watching from the stands, Townsend held eight match points in the second set and appeared poised to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final. Krejcikova responded by taking risks on those match points and produced the tennis necessary to survive. Townsend broke down in tears after the match as the winning player received a muted reception, underlining the disappointment for New York fans.

Despite the emotion, Townsend gathered herself for the post-match media session. “I’m exactly where I need to be,” she began, as she was asked what she had learned from her run of fine form on a singles court. “I’m playing the tennis I need to be inside the top 10 and to win a Grand Slam.

“This hurst, but it’s part of sport and part of competition, but I’m right where I need to be.”

The 29-year-old also allowed herself a brief, measured moment of levity about recovery. “My coach and I have a rule where you get to sulk for three minutes… I took ten!” she continued.

She added: “I got love and hugs from my team and it just really stings because I gave everything.

“When I was showering, I was thinking ‘when am I next playing a singles match?’. This has motivated me to keep doing the things I know I can do to be a champion.

“This is the cool thing about tennis. You can get back on the saddle and keep going.

“I think this is my toughest loss. I was so close. It was literally a point here and there that made the difference, but I am proud of myself.

“I don’t think I’ve ever put on a performance like this and I’ve gained the respect of everyone in the tennis world.”

Townsend vowed to give her all in pursuit of the US Open doubles title with partner Katerina Siniakova. Had she converted one of those match points, she would have moved into the WTA top 100; instead she is projected to sit around No 111 when the rankings update next week. The defeat also had financial consequence: a quarter-final would have been worth $660,000, while her current payout is $400,000.