{
  "id": 6074840,
  "title": "Zverev seeks US Open last eight as Osaka faces Rybakina",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/zverev-seeks-us-open-last-eight-as-osaka-faces-rybakina-6074840",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-07T00:17:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/09/07/zverev-seeks-us-open-last-eight-as-osaka-faces-rybakina"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US Open 2023: Zverev and Osaka await in the fourth round as top-seeded Zverev battles Luciano Darderi for quarter-finals berth\n\nTop-seeded Alexander Zverev kicked off his US Open journey with a place in the quarter-finals as he takes on Luciano Darderi for a spot in the last eight. The German star, who had a challenging start to his campaign with two marathon five-setters, will aim to improve against the 21st-seeded Italian. Zverev will once again anchor the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he faced Alejandro Tabilo in a smooth match earlier.\n\nMeanwhile, the pressure is on reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina as she faces Naomi Osaka in a fourth-round clash. Rybakina, who is ranked second in the world, only needs to reach the semi-finals to knock out Aryna Sabalenka from the top spot. However, Osaka, who has faced a few mid-match dips in her matches, is confident of her ability to handle the challenge posed by the Kazakh player. She stated that she will play at a high level against Rybakina and believes that the most exciting tennis comes when playing against top-ranked opponents.\n\nAnother thrilling match to watch is the fourth-round contest between Francisco Cerundolo and Alexander Blockx. Cerundolo, who is the highest-ranked Latin American player on the ATP Tour, made an upset third-round victory by defeating ninth-seeded American Taylor Fritz. The 21-year-old Belgian is now aiming to reach the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time. Blockx, who is making his Grand Slam debut at the US Open, reached the second week for the first time by defeating fifth-seeded Flavio Cobolli in four sets. Both players are confident of their tennis abilities, making their fourth-round encounter an exciting one to watch.",
  "summary": "After two five-setters, Alexander Zverev enjoyed a smoother victory over Alejandro Tabilo and will look to improve against the 21st-seeded Italian.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Zverev seeks US Open last eight as Osaka faces Rybakina",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/zverev-seeks-us-open-last-eight-as-osaka-faces-rybakina",
        "published": "2026-09-07T00:17:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}