Five US Open Round of 16 matches Sunday worth planning your day around

Ben Shelton didn’t leave the court at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center until 2:15 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, and by Sunday, he’s supposed to be ready to go again in the US Open Round of 16. That’s the kind of turnaround that can make or break a tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, is just three matches into his return after missing three months with a wrist injury. Aryna Sabalenka and Taylor Townsend have never played each other. Emma Navarro just beat a Wimbledon finalist without dropping a game. Jessica Pegula lost a set 6-1 and still made it through.

They all take the court Sunday, Sept. 6 at Flushing Meadows . Five matches stand out, and here’s what’s actually at stake in each one:

No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 20 Tommy Paul

■ Day session in Arthur Ashe Stadium

Alcaraz completed the career Grand Slam in January by winning the Australian Open at age 22. He hasn’t been the same since, withdrawing from a tournament in Barcelona in April with a wrist injury that also prevented him from contesting the French Open, where he was the two-time reigning champion, and Wimbledon. The US Open is his comeback. Paul, seeded 20th, is into his second week on home soil with a New York crowd behind him.

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Unforgettable US Open 2026 tennis photos from New York

Relive the action of the 2026 US Open with dynamic photos capturing the speed, power, and passion on the New York courts.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates against Roman Safiullin during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)

Relive the action of the 2026 US Open with dynamic photos capturing the speed, power, and passion on the New York courts.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates against Roman Safiullin during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)

Anouk Koevermans of Netherlands returns against Caty McNally of the United States during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)

Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka serves to Colombia’s Camila Osorio during the women’s singles first round tennis match on day two of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Aug. 31, 2026.

(TIMOTHY A. CLARY, AFP via Getty Images)

France’s Arthur Fils plays a forehand return against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas during the men’s singles first round tennis match on day two of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Aug. 31, 2026.

(KENA BETANCUR, AFP via Getty Images)

Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka celebrate their victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio during their women’s singles first round tennis match on day two of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Aug. 31, 2026.

(TIMOTHY A. CLARY, AFP via Getty Images)

Otto Virtanen of Finland returns against Andrey Rublev during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Matthew Stockman, Getty Images)

Aryna Sabalenka reacts against Camila Osorio of Colombia during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)

Camila Osorio of Colombia serves against Aryna Sabalenka during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)

Qinwen Zheng of China returns against Kristina Liutova during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Julian Finney, Getty Images)

Panna Udvardy of Hungary reacts against Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Matthew Stockman, Getty Images)

Karolina Muchova of Czechia serves against Sinja Kraus of Austria during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Matthew Stockman, Getty Images)

Martin Landaluce of Spain returns a shot against Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)

Amanda Anisimova of the United States returns against Ashlyn Krueger of the United States during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)

Ashlyn Krueger of the United States returns a shot against Amanda Anisimova of the United States during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain returns a shot against Roman Safiullin during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Al Bello, Getty Images)

Harry Wendelken of Great Britain returns a shot against Luciano Darderi of Italy during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Julian Finney, Getty Images)

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates against Roman Safiullin during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)

Aug. 30: Jessica Pegula of the U.S. in action during her first round match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela Ruse. The US Open singles tournaments begin Sunday in Flushing, New York, a chance for players to reach new rankings milestones in the final Grand Slam of the calendar year.

While Serena Williams is only playing doubles at Flushing Meadows, top seed and two-time defending US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka leads a stacked women’s singles field that also includes world No. 2 Elena Rybakina and the two top-ranked American women, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff.

(ROBERT DEUTSCH, IMAGN IMAGES via REUTERS)

Aug. 30: Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain returns against Jiri Lehecka of Czech Republic during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day One of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)

Aug. 30: Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in action during his first round match against France’s Hugo Gaston.

(Robert Deutsch, IMAGN IMAGES via REUTERS)

Aug. 30: General view during the first round match between Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.

(Eduardo Munoz, REUTERS)

Aug. 30: Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka reacts during his first round match against Spain’s Pablo Carreno-Busta.

(GEOFF BURKE, IMAGN IMAGES via REUTERS)

Aug. 30: Italy’s Jasmine Paolini celebrates after winning her first round match against Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec.

(Eduardo Munoz, REUTERS)

Aug. 30: Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse in action during her first round match against Jessica Pegula of the U.S.

(Mike Segar, REUTERS)

Aug. 30: Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec in action during her US Open first round match against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini from Flushing Meadows, NY.

(Eduardo Munoz, REUTERS)

Aug. 30: Donna Vekic of Croatia returns a shot against Talia Gibson of Australia during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day One.

(Al Bello, Getty Images)

Aug. 30: Adam Walton of Australia returns a shot against Yibing Wu of China during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day One .

(Matthew Stockman, Getty Images)

Aug. 30: Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec in action during her first round match against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.

(Eduardo Munoz, REUTERS)

No. 8 Ben Shelton vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas

■ Night session in Arthur Ashe Stadium

Shelton got off the court at 2:15 a.m. Saturday morning – the latest finish of his career – after needing four sets and a big second-set comeback to beat Denis Shapovalov in a third-round match that began Friday evening. He’s had roughly a day and a half to recover. Tsitsipas, unseeded but capable of big matches after reaching the finals of the French Open in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2023, gets him at less than full strength.

No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Taylor Townsend

■ Day session in Arthur Ashe Stadium

These two have never played each other, at any level. Townsend is serving at a level that even surprised her in her first two matches, winning 92% of her first-serve points. She knocked out No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva at this tournament last year and No. 15 seed Diana Shnaider in the third round Friday, so an upset isn’t out of the question. Sabalenka, the two-rime reigning US Open champion, has dropped just eight games total in three matches this tournament.

No. 26 Emma Navarro vs. No. 21 Anna Kalinskaya

■ Night session in Arthur Ashe Stadium

Navarro beat Karolina Muchova, a Wimbledon finalist and the No. 7 seed, 6-3, 7-5, and made it look simple. She’s 6-0 on the Grandstand court at the US Open over two years now.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 16 Sorana Cristea

■ Night session in Louis Armstrong Stadium

Pegula lost the first set to Leylah Fernandez 6-1 before turning it around and finishing her off in the third round Friday. She blamed her feet and said she had a lazy start. Cristea beat a shakier Jasmine Paolini, the No. 19 seed, in straight sets. Pegula won’t be able to get away with a slow start against Cristea.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Five US Open Round of 16 matches Sunday worth planning your day around

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