US Open 2026 Day Four: Shelton, Pegula and Medvedev Advance

A persistent downpour over Flushing Meadows disrupted the schedule on day four of the 2026 US Open, suspending all action on uncovered courts and forcing a late venue switch that altered conditions significantly for at least one of the day's marquee matches. Matches played beneath the roofs on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums continued regardless, and produced a succession of notable outcomes across both draws.

Shelton grinds past Hurkacz in four sets

Ben Shelton, described as the highest-ranked American in the men's singles and a semi-finalist at the tournament in 2023, worked past Poland's Hubert Hurkacz on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Shelton took the first set 6-3, dropped the second 5-7, then dominated a third-set tie-break to lead 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(3). Hurkacz is perhaps best known as the man who ended Roger Federer's grand slam career at Wimbledon — a connection that tennis followers at this year's US Open may well have noted. Shelton's progress was marked by a burst of heavy hitting and the kind of roared celebrations that have made him a favourite of the Arthur Ashe crowd.

Boulter undone by Muchova's precision

Katie Boulter, the British No 1, found herself in considerable difficulty against Karolina Muchova, the Wimbledon runner-up, after their match was switched at short notice from Court 17 to Louis Armstrong. The change in surface, lighting and atmosphere appeared to unsettle Boulter: she was broken in all four of her service games in the first set, which Muchova claimed 6-1. Sky Sports commentator Laura Robson observed that Boulter was over-pressing and needed to slow the pace of exchanges. An ominous contextual note for the British player: Muchova entered the second set carrying a 30-0 record this season when winning the opening set. The match was ongoing at time of writing. The Czech, notably, was playing her first tournament since losing in the Wimbledon final.

Pegula dominant; world No 1 ranking a possibility

Jessica Pegula, the 2024 finalist, dismissed compatriot Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 in 56 minutes — described as her second fastest victory of the season — conceding only four games and seven points on serve. On court afterwards, Pegula was measured about her prospects, saying: "I like working hard, I love chasing, getting better at everything, knowing that I probably won't get there, but that's the point." The Guardian's live coverage noted that Pegula could finish the tournament as world No 1 should she claim the title and Elena Rybakina fail to reach the semi-finals. Pegula faces Leylah Fernandez, a former US Open finalist, in the third round, after Fernandez beat Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1.

Medvedev, Kostyuk and others progress

The 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev advanced to the third round after navigating a competitive final set against American wildcard Reese Gorzny, where he was briefly troubled before closing out the match. He will face either Arthur Rinderknech or Jaume Munar next. Marta Kostyuk, the 11th seed and one of the form players of the summer following semi-final appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon, defeated former US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-5 after saving a set point and eventually serving out the match. Diana Shnaider, the French Open semi-finalist, beat Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 7-6(4), while Paula Badosa — who had to miss last year's tournament through injury — completed a rain-interrupted win over Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-4 on her ninth match point of the contest, setting up a third-round tie with Coco Gauff.

British players suffer setbacks

It was a difficult day for British competitors beyond Boulter. Jacob Fearnley, whose presence in the draw was itself described as the result of a fortunate route through qualifying, lost to Argentina's 27th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, and was trailing significantly in the second set when rain intervened, before ultimately being eliminated. Jan Choinski fell to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in three sets, losing the deciding tie-break. The day's upsets included Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, the 12th seed and a player described as having risen from world No 165 to No 13 during the year, falling behind against Chinese lucky loser Yunchaokete Bu. Daniel Merida, another Spaniard, produced the biggest victory of his career by beating 23rd seed Andrey Rublev from a set down, and will face Alex Michelsen — who eliminated Brandon Nakashima in straight sets — in the third round.