The last quarterfinal spots are now up for grabs, some players have surprised by reaching the second week but now it’s starting to look tougher. Let’s look closer at two of today’s matches, Francisco Cerundolo vs. Alexander Blockx and Alexander Zverev vs. Luciano Darderi, with our betting predictions.
Francisco Cerundolo vs Alexander Blockx
Cerundolo has been living dangerously the last two rounds, needing five sets to get past both Jan-Lennard Struff and 9th seed Taylor Fritz, the latter after trailing two sets to love. It’s his first ever trip to the second week in New York, though he arrived on a three-match losing streak before the tournament started.
FRAN'S FINEST HOUR ??
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2026
On his Ashe debut, Francisco Cerundolo stages a jaw-dropping comeback to take out Fritz 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4! pic.twitter.com/mU6t7jKFz9
Blockx has been the bigger story of the two and he is starting to look like a proper threat for anyone on the tour. The Belgian made the fourth round in his US Open main-draw debut by defeating Flavio Cobolli, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3, firing 17 aces along the way.
Blockx leads the head-to-head 1-0, having beaten Cerundolo on the clay in Madrid earlier this year, 7-6(8), 6-2, though the two have never met on a hard court.
Predictions and best bets
Cerundolo has shown real fight to get this far, but grinding through back-to-back five-setters takes a physical toll, and Blockx looks like the fresher, more dangerous player right now, especially with his serve working the way it did against Cobolli. I’d lean toward the in-form Belgian, though Cerundolo’s resilience will get him at least one set.
My bet: Blockx to win in four sets
Alexander Zverev vs Luciano Darderi
Zverev, the top seed, has been playing a lot of tennis this week, with some tough 5-set battles. Following a smaller dip in form it might have been what needed though, and he still looks very solid and remains the favorite for the title together with Alcaraz.
Darderi has had an easy draw so far, to say the least, reaching the second week for the first time at Flushing Meadows on the back of straightforward wins.
Their head-to-head is tied 1-1, and their last meeting was a classic: Darderi saved several match points to stun Zverev on the Rome clay courts earlier this year, 1-6, 7-6(10), 6-0, in one of the best comebacks of the season.
Predictions and best bets
Darderi has never reached further than round 4 of a Slam and I don’t think he will make it this time either. This will be a much tougher test than previous matches and Zverev seem to have found his rhythm on these hard-courts.
My bet: Zverev to win in straight sets
