Cerundolo and Blockx Shock US Open with Double Top-10 Upset

Fritz Stunned in Five-Set Drama on Ashe

The men's draw at the 2026 US Open lost another top seed on Saturday when Francisco Cerundolo staged one of the tournament's most dramatic comebacks to eliminate ninth seed Taylor Fritz. The 24th-seeded Argentine trailed by two sets and a break before winning three consecutive sets to seal a 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory in three hours and 39 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It was Cerundolo's first ever match on the sport's largest court, and he acknowledged the occasion afterwards. "Taylor is a top player. He played the final here and won a lot of matches. I know how difficult it is to play against him. Winning here, my first time on Ashe, it's fantastic," he told reporters. Fritz, a former finalist at Flushing Meadows who had conceded just 11 games across his first two rounds, was visibly shattered. "I don't really want to talk to anybody, see anybody," he said. "I don't know how I let that happen today."

The turning point arrived early in the third set. Fritz broke to lead 2-1 but Cerundolo immediately broke back, and from that moment the Argentine's footspeed and clean ball-striking progressively overwhelmed his opponent. Cerundolo converted one more break point than Fritz across the full match — a slim margin that reflected just how tight the balance was before the fifth set.

Blockx Dismantles Cobolli with 17 Aces

Just hours earlier on the same day, 21-year-old Belgian Alexander Blockx had produced an even more authoritative display to remove fifth seed Flavio Cobolli from the draw. Blockx dropped the opening set in a tiebreak before taking control entirely, winning 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 in two hours and 44 minutes. His serve was the weapon that broke Italian resistance: 17 aces against just five from Cobolli.

The result carried an extra dimension of satisfaction for Blockx. Cobolli — the 2026 French Open runner-up — had beaten the Belgian just two weeks earlier in Cincinnati. On Saturday, the reversal was emphatic. "I think this was one of the craziest experiences so far in my career," said Blockx, the current world No. 32 and top Belgian in the rankings. Having reached a career-high of No. 32 in July, the Bruges-born 21-year-old is now into the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time.

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A Wide-Open Draw Heads into Sunday

With both Fritz and Cobolli gone, only four of the original top-10 seeds remain in the men's singles draw. Cerundolo highlighted what that means for the rest of the field: "It shows you how even the circuit is right now, how tight every match is. It's open to everyone — anyone can win it." He added: "I'm going for more, I'm not settling."

The two upset-makers will now face each other in Sunday's fourth round. The match carries its own subplot: Cerundolo lost to Blockx at the Madrid Masters 1000 earlier in 2026, giving the Argentine added motivation to advance. Whoever wins will face a quarterfinal against either Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul, as the defending champion and the American crowd favourite meet separately in Sunday's marquee match at Arthur Ashe.

At the top of the men's draw, Alexander Zverev — the tournament's top seed following Jannik Sinner's pre-tournament knee withdrawal — will play his fourth-round match against Alejandro Tabilo in the final evening session. After surviving two five-set matches in his first three rounds, the German faces the most straightforward path of any remaining top seed into the quarterfinals.