The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 U.S. Open men’s semifinals.
Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On Day 11, the tournament got its purest tennis match
Two stars light up the biggest stadium in the sport
Naomi Osaka’s quarterfinal against Karolína Muchová was the latest exclamation point for Osaka’s long and short journey back to the biggest matches on the brightest stages. It began nearly two years ago, but went from 35mph to 90 only in the past month.
“It’s like a video game. You pick it up, and even if you lose a level, you kind of just restart and keep going until you eventually win. I think it’s a little tough at some times, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she said in her news conference.
Also like a video game was her 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over the master craftswoman of tennis, an encounter which was done in straight sets and less than two hours, but delivered the purest — or, in Alan Partridge’s words, liquid — tennis of the U.S. Open to date. The clash of styles teased out the similarities between Osaka and Muchová more than the differences.
The ebbs and flows, as Muchová, after looking out of the match following medical treatment on her left thigh between sets, shifted gears from constructive to destructive and started using the ferocious groundstroke power that usually plays second fiddle to her finesse. And then Osaka, moving out of the corners and floating all around every part of the biggest stadium in the sport, as she had likely never done before.
She has arrived on court for this tournament, along with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, intent on taking charge of points the way she once did, dictating them from just behind the baseline, but with the addition of a new weapon: she can really move. When Osaka was first ascendant, keeping her toes on the hashmark at the baseline was enough. Now, tennis is built for players with straight-up speed and the ability to switch direction like pinballs bouncing off bumpers.
This match did not draw the biggest crowd roars or standing ovations of the fortnight, but it did bring some of the most consistently brilliant two-way tennis. That Muchová did half of that essentially on one leg only added to its impact.
— James Hansen and Matt Futterman
Arthur Ashe goes high on quality but low on length
After a run of short, uncompetitive matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium, things started to turn Tuesday night when Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic played a competitive four-setter that lasted just under three-and-a-half hours.
On Wednesday, play began with a four-set battle won by Félix Auger-Aliassime against Alex de Minaur that lasted four hours and 10 minutes. The quality wasn’t always the highest but it was extremely close, with the result in doubt until the final ball.
The second match between Amanda Anisimova and Iga Świątek was a lot shorter, but more intense and the kind of contest that, although it only lasted 96 minutes, no one left feeling shortchanged. The first set of Osaka against Muchová was extremely high quality, before becoming slightly strange in the second as the latter had to manage a leg injury after a medical timeout. Muchová changed her game and still forced Osaka to a tiebreak. That’s the match of the tournament, remember?
Three very different matches, and a reminder that quantity doesn’t always equal quality. And that matches can still be competitive and hard-fought, even if in straight sets.
Auger-Aliassime came through a contest of will and nerve management on Arthur Ashe Stadium. (Ishika Samant / Getty Images)
— Charlie Eccleshare
Last two men’s quarterfinals a study in contrast
The two phenomenal women’s semifinals were the filling to a men’s quarterfinal sandwich, but the two pieces of bread could not have been more different.
In the first of the day, two players tipped for majors who never quite made it squared off in pursuit of taking their next step. De Minaur, the 26-year-old Australian, was trying to reach a first major semifinal. Auger-Aliassime, the 25-year-old Canadian, was trying to reach his second.
It was Auger-Aliassime who prevailed after four hours and 9 minutes in the sunshine, beating De Minaur 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5, 7-6(4). The Canadian has been on a heater the past week, powered by his destructive forehand. But for most of the match yesterday, it went AWOL.
At the same time, de Minaur’s sturdy defense got creakier as the match went on, as he made uncharacteristic unforced errors. Both players agreed that this was a tight match more defined by what was at stake than the opponent in front of them, and Auger-Aliassime eked out the fourth set after de Minaur had taken a 4-1 lead.
The Canadian will play Jannik Sinner after the men’s world No. 1 blasted past compatriot Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win. Since being a point from going down 0-4 to Denis Shapovalov in the third set of their third-round match, Sinner has been imperious, dropping 13 games in roughly two-and-a-half matches.
— James Hansen
Shot of the day
Alex de Minaur may have lost, but he had time to bring out his flair against Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Up next: Women’s semifinals
🎾 Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Jessica Pegula (4)
7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+
Here they are again, one round earlier. Sabalenka and Pegula met in last year’s U.S. Open final, with the world No. 1 beating the home favorite 7-5, 7-5. They both enter this semifinal having come through the draw unscathed, not even dropping a set. For different reasons, they have probably had it easier than they would like in terms of readiness for such a contest. Sabalenka didn’t even play a quarterfinal after Markéta Vondroušová withdrew from their match, while Pegula is yet to have to find her top level.
🎾 Naomi Osaka (23) vs. Amanda Anisimova (8)
9 p.m. ET (estimated) on ESPN/ESPN+
Anisimova is fresh off avenging her 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final defeat to Iga Świątek, playing uninhibited tennis and adding even better movement out of the corners to go with her ballstriking. Osaka is fresh off beating one of the great craftswomen in tennis, Karolína Muchová, who pushed her to a tiebreak even on one leg. Both of them have unfinished business at Grand Slams: Anisimova from just weeks ago and Osaka from four years back. A thrilling match awaits.
U.S. Open men’s draw 2025U.S. Open women’s draw 2025
Tell us what you noticed on the 11th day…
(Top photo of Karolína Muchová and Naomi Osaka: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic)
AloJapan.com