US Open Day 3: Pegula and Medvedev Win Quickly, Alcaraz and Sabalenka Face Title Defense Pressure

Flushing Meadows, a late August afternoon, the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium began to turn on from 4 PM. I stood by the west fence, where I could see both Court 5 and the players' walkway from the locker room. Jessica Pegula walked onto the court with a light pink bag, never looking up at the stands. She walked straight to her chair, placed her water bottle down, and rotated her body three times before starting her warm-up. I have followed Pegula since her days playing Challenger events in Charleston, and I have never seen her this calm before a match against a Grand Slam champion. The match ended after 56 minutes. The score was 6-3, 6-1. No tiebreaks, no tense moments lasting more than three consecutive points. The heartbeats no one hears. The context of the third day of this year's US Open is not normal. Tuesday's rain forced organizers to compress 25 men's singles matches into a single Wednesday. This unprecedented schedule created enormous operational pressure: players had to compete with minimal recovery time, physiotherapy teams had to work through the night, and outdoor courts required constant maintenance. In this context, Pegula finishing her match in under an hour was not just a victory — it was a signal of intelligent physical management. She would gain nearly two extra days of rest compared to players who went through three sets on Court 10. On Louis Armstrong Stadium, Daniil Medvedev also completed his work efficiently against Czech opponent Jakub Gorzny. No detailed serving statistics were published, but watching how Medvedev moved — those short steps, constantly adjusting position before each return — I recognized a different version of Medvedev from what he showed at Wimbledon in July. He is saving energy for the deeper rounds. The biggest story of this year's tournament is not on the court. Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka both enter the US Open as defending champions — but that means they carry the burden of defending 2,000 ranking points. For Sabalenka, she is pursuing a third consecutive title at Flushing Meadows, a feat only Serena Williams has achieved in the Open Era since 2026-2026. For Alcaraz, the story is far more complex. The Spaniard has not competed since April due to a right wrist injury. I was in Madrid in May when he announced his withdrawal from his home tournament, and I remember clearly how he hid his right hand in his jacket pocket during the press conference. The wrist is one of the most sensitive areas of a tennis player's body — it directly affects the forehand, the two-handed backhand, and especially the ability to accelerate the racket when facing heavy balls on hard courts. The hard courts at the US Open are rated medium-slow, but the ball bounce is still much higher than the clay of Roland Garros. This means each opponent shot arrives with greater speed and spin, creating more mechanical stress on Alcaraz's wrist. There is a fire in the locker room. I witnessed it on Wednesday afternoon as Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe prepared to take the court. Shelton, the No. 8 seed, would face Hubert Hurkacz in the second round — a match I rate as the highest-variance of the day. Shelton possesses an extremely awkward lefty serve and an explosive forehand, while Hurkacz has one of the best serves on tour. This match will be decided by return effectiveness — especially second-serve returns. Tiafoe, the No. 11 seed, has an easier path facing qualifier Sakamoto. But I don't think that's what worries Tiafoe. He is under pressure from the expectations of the home crowd — nine American men competing on the same day, a number that shows the depth of American men's tennis is at its best in two decades. But depth does not equal victory. I remember the 2026 US Open, when 11 American men reached the second round but only one made it to the quarterfinals. What most sports media outlets miss when talking about Pegula is her decision-making speed. In the match against Kenin, I counted 14 times Pegula hit return shots right at the ball's bounce — no retreating, no creating distance. This completely contradicts the general trend of modern women's tennis, where players typically stand 2-3 meters behind the baseline to gain processing time. Pegula is playing the way previous generations played — standing close to the baseline, hitting early, creating pressure through precision rather than power. This approach is particularly effective on the medium-paced hard courts of the US Open, where the ball bounces evenly and not too fast. But the question is: will this tactic hold up against opponents with stronger serves than Kenin in later rounds? I lean toward yes, because Pegula has proven her adaptability over the years — she is no longer the player who only hit flat balls from the back of the court like in 2026. On the Medvedev side, there is a detail I noted in my notebook: he only attempted 4 drop shots in the entire match against Gorzny. This number is nearly zero compared to Medvedev's usual habits — he typically uses the drop shot as a tactical weapon to disrupt opponents' movement patterns. I believe this is a deliberate signal: Medvedev is hiding his cards. He knows that the real opponents — possibly Alcaraz in the semifinals or Sinner in the final — will study this match's video closely. By not using the drop shot, Medvedev is creating a layer of tactical ambiguity. This also aligns with his approach at the 2026 US Open, when he defeated Djokovic in the final by completely changing his tactics from what he had shown in earlier rounds. The mistake American media often makes when talking about Alcaraz is treating him as an unstoppable "winning machine." In reality, Alcaraz's right wrist injury is not just a physical issue — it is a psychological one. When a player spends a long time away from competition due to injury, a self-protective instinct forms in the subconscious. He may hit his forehand with a safer margin in early matches, reduce the number of winners, and rely more on his movement. This means the Alcaraz of the first and second rounds will not be the Alcaraz we saw at Roland Garros 2026. The question is whether he can navigate this "feeling-out" phase before facing truly dangerous opponents in the quarterfinals. His draw in the top half appears relatively manageable, but I have learned that at a Grand Slam, no match is easy when you are only at 60% fitness. Sabalenka, by contrast, is in the best physical condition I have ever seen from a female player entering the US Open. She has competed continuously throughout the summer, shows no signs of injury, and more importantly — she is enjoying the pressure. I interviewed Sabalenka after the 2026 Australian Open final, and she told me: "Pressure is a privilege of those who have won." That statement now carries more meaning than ever as she pursues a third consecutive title at Flushing Meadows. History shows only Serena Williams has done this in the Open Era — and Sabalenka is approaching that milestone with surprising composure. But I also remember that in 2026, Iga Swiatek came to the US Open as the No. 1 favorite and lost in the fourth round to Pegula. Nothing is certain at a Grand Slam. The ball rolls past, the people remain. As I left Louis Armstrong Stadium at 11:45 PM, I saw a group of American children waiting outside the players' gate, hoping to get Shelton's autograph. They had no idea that Shelton had finished his match at 10:30 PM and had already left through a private exit. I stood there for a moment, watching the disappointed faces of those children, then remembered what I have learned after 12 years of following professional tennis: the moments fans see on television are only the tip of the iceberg. The submerged part — 7 AM practice sessions, long physiotherapy sessions, closed tactical meetings — is where the fate of a tournament is decided. And at this year's US Open, with a rain-compressed schedule, that submerged part is more important than ever. The quiet Westchester practice day. I watch, I record, I keep. Looking back at the journey from my early days following Pegula in Charleston to now, I realize American tennis is at a turning point. Nine American men competing in one day, Pegula ranked No. 3 in the world, Shelton and Tiafoe both top seeds — but this did not happen by accident. It is the result of a training system built over 15 years, with investment in regional academies and lower-tier tournaments. However, I also recognize that depth does not automatically translate into titles. Since Andy Roddick in 2026, no American man has won the US Open. The gap between "having many good players" and "having one champion" remains a chasm. And while Shelton and Tiafoe are trying to bridge that chasm, Alcaraz and Sabalenka — those who already stand on the other side — face the opposite question: how to stay there. One beat, one day, one season. Before the opening, listen.