Defending singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the fourth round of the US Open on Friday, but the evening session brought heartbreak for tennis icons Serena and Venus Williams, who lost in a dramatic three-hour doubles match.

Alcaraz, returning from a four-month injury layoff, defeated China's Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1, while Sabalenka was equally dominant, beating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4. Alcaraz will next face 20th-seeded American Tommy Paul, who overcame Alexander Bublik in five sets.

Alcaraz praised Wu's game, saying, "The way he plays is unbelievable, the rhythm he has on every shot. His balls skid a lot on the court, and it's difficult to control sometimes. But I stayed aggressive and played smart in the tough moments."

World No. 1 Sabalenka did not face a break point, firing 29 winners and 10 aces. However, she complained about the pervasive smell of marijuana from the stands, saying, "It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while competing at your best." Sabalenka, who must defend her title to retain the top ranking, will face Taylor Townsend next.

The Williams sisters, partnering in a Grand Slam doubles event for the first time since 2022, showed flashes of brilliance but ultimately fell to Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/7). The 14-time Grand Slam doubles champions led 5-0 in the final-set tiebreak but couldn't close it out.

In other singles action, Jessica Pegula mounted a comeback to beat Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, while Marta Kostyuk defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova and Emma Navarro upset Karolina Muchova.

On the men's side, Frances Tiafoe advanced past Valentin Vacherot and will face Daniil Medvedev, who beat Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets. Stefanos Tsitsipas, now ranked 53rd, reached the fourth round for the first time by defeating Jiri Lehecka, and will play Ben Shelton.

Source: www.aljazeera.com