Second round singles action begins on Wednesday in New York.
Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka headline Day 4’s schedule, but with all three being significant favorites in their second round matches, Wednesday’s more compelling contests will likely take place outside the tournaments’ biggest stadiums. And those matchups feature some noteworthy names of their own, such as Victoria Azarenka, Marketa Vondrousova, and Holger Rune.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Victoria Azarenka vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – 11:00am on Stadium 17
These two WTA veterans share a head-to-head that dates all the way back to 2009. Their nine previous matches span over 15 years, with Azarenka claiming seven of the nine overall, and five out of six on hard courts.
But Vika has played infrequently during 2025, due to reported shoulder and neck injuries. She has a record of just 10-11 this season, and her opening round victory was her first match since Wimbledon. Azarenka is a three-time US Open runner-up, as she now vies for her 50th match win at this event.
Pavlyuchenkova has only achieved one quarterfinal in New York, which occurred 14 years ago. She owns a modest record of 23-15 at this tournament, and is only 14-13 this year. However, Anastasia has excelled at this season’s Majors, with quarterfinal appearances in both Melbourne and London.
Despite their shared history, recent form seems to favor Pavlyuchenkova. Both players possess similar styles, so confidence may be a key factor. I give Anastasia the slight edge on Wednesday.
McCartney Kessler (32) vs. Marketa Vondrousova – Third on Court 7
This is a rematch from the opening round of the last Major, when Wimbledon champ Vondrousova defeated Kessler in straight sets. Both players had brought some momentum into that match: Marketa was coming off a grass court title in Berlin, while McCartney was coming of a grass court title in Nottingham.
Kessler is a bit of a late bloomer in professional tennis, as the 26-year-old American made her top 100 debut only a year ago. After some lower-level success during 2024, she won her first WTA title right before this event last year, in Cleveland. And after winning two more WTA titles in 2025, she was recently ranked as high as No.30 in the world. However, her victory over Magda Linette in the first round was just her second-ever main draw win at a Major.
By contrast, Vondrousova often peaks at Majors. Yet much like her fellow Czechs, she’s often forced to do so in between battling multiple injuries. Within the past year alone, Marketa has dealt with both a hand and shoulder injury, with her left shoulder requiring surgery. She’s just 15-8 on the year, but seems to be rather healthy now. And the last time she played the US Open, back in 2023, Vondrousova advanced to the quarterfinals.
Based on their results at this level, Marketa is the favorite in this second round matchup. Plus, McCartney is more known for her defensive skills, so the more aggressive Marketa should be able to dictate the rallies.
Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Holger Rune (11) – Not Before 5:00pm on Stadium 17
After an ongoing illness impacted his play earlier this year, Rune has been unable to regain his form. Since being the runner-up at Indian Wells, and the champion in Barcelona, he’s gone just 12-7. And the US Open remains his worst Major by far, where even following a first round victory over Botic van de Zandschulp in straights, Holger is just 2-4 lifetime.
Struff is a similarly subpar 7-9 in New York, with only a pair of third round appearances. Last season, the German was ranked as high as No.24, but he’s now dropped well outside the top 100, thanks to a record of 13-23 within the past 52 weeks. The 35-year-old has not been fully healthy this past year, due to a hip injury.
However, Jan-Lennard thumped Holger in their only prior encounter. Last April on the clay of Munich, Struff defeated Rune 6-2, 6-0, on the way to the ATP veteran’s first ATP title. I expect a much tighter battle on Wednesday, and across the course of a possible five sets, I favor Rune. He’s the more in-form player, and his superior defensive skills will pay off the longer this match goes.
Ben Shelton (6) vs. Pablo Carreno Busta – Last on Louis Armstrong Stadium
Shelton sits at a career-high of No.6, following his first Masters 1000 title just a few weeks ago in Toronto. He’s now 36-17 this season, and has reached the second week at all three Majors. Ben cruised through his opening round in straights, and will surely embrace the energy of the late night crowd on Armstrong.
Carreno Busta is a two-time US Open semifinalist, though it’s been five years since he’s advanced that far at a Slam. Elbow tendonitis sidelined the Spaniard for much of 2023, and a leg injury kept him out of action for some of 2024. But the 34-year-old regained some of his prior form earlier this year, with back-to-back hard court titles at Challenger level, though he’s only 7-11 this year at tour level.
Their only previous matchup was a close four-setter in the same round of this past January’s Australian Open, which went to Shelton. In the one set Carreno Busta was able to procure, Shelton’s first serve percentage dipped to 47%. But Pablo cannot count on that happening in three different sets, so Ben is a considerable favorite to be victorious again on Wednesday night.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Emma Raducanu vs. Janice Tjen (Q) – Raducanu’s first round victory was the first US Open match she’s won since her title run in 2021. Tjen is a 23-year-old qualifier from Indonesia who since this time a year ago has gone 70-9 at all levels, collecting an astounding nine titles. Her style has been compared to that of Ash Barty, who she revealed is an inspiration of hers.
Novak Djokovic (7) vs. Zachary Svajda (Q) – Djokovic did not look 100% physically on Sunday, yet still took his opening round against Learner Tien in straights. Svajda is a 23-year-old American qualifier who has been on fire this summer, winning two Challenger titles, including the Hall Of Fame event in Newport.
Joao Fonseca vs. Tomas Machac (21) – Fonseca won his US Open debut on Monday, beating Miomir Kecmanovic in straights, despite puking in the courtside trash can mid-match. Machac recently achieved a career-high ranking of No.20, yet is just 6-9 since the beginning of April.
Jessica Pegula (4) vs. Anna Blinkova – Last March at Indian Wells, Blinkova upset Pegual in three sets. However, Jess has claimed their other four prior encounters.
Mattia Bellucci vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) – The biggest news coming out of Alcaraz’s first round win was his botched haircut, as he comfortably eliminated Reilly Opelka on Monday night. Bellucci is a 24-year-old Italian who won 51 matches last season at all levels, but has a losing record this season.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Polina Kudermetova – Sabalenka has reached the quarterfinals or better in her last 11 Major appearances. Polina is the younger sister of Veronika Kudermetova, and only played four games in her opening round before her opponent retired due to injury. At the beginning of this year, Aryna defeated Polina in three.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
