Zverev & Swiatek eyeing last eight at US Open as Osaka faces Rybakina in blockbuster

[p]After two marathon five-setters to open his campaign, French Open champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zverev-alexander/dGbUhw9m/"]Zverev[/a] had a smoother ride against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tabilo-alejandro/YgVnM5vO/"]Alejandro Tabilo[/a], and he'll be looking to improve further [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/darderi-l-jeXTxMIp/zverev-a-dGbUhw9m/?mid=4lfpwIZ9"]against the 21st-seeded Italian[/a].[/p][p]As he has in each of his matches, Zverev will again anchor the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, on a day offering plenty of compelling fourth-round contests.[/p][p]AFP Sport looks at three matches to watch on Day 9 of the US Open:[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/osaka-n-MDM4BKiA/rybakina-e-UDzElXdm/?mid=YTRJZrTH"]Naomi Osaka vs Elena Rybakina[/a][/b][/p][p][b]Rybakina leads head-to-head 1-0[/b][/p][p]World number two [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rybakina-elena/UDzElXdm/"]Elena Rybakina[/a] has brushed off talk of the No. 1 ranking, but the pressure is nevertheless on the two-time Grand Slam winner from Kazakhstan, who only needs to reach the semi-finals to knock [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Aryna Sabalenka[/a] out of the top spot.[/p][p]The reigning Australian Open champion has yet to drop a set, but she'll be stepping up in class against Osaka, whose four Grand Slam titles include two US Opens.[/p][p]More than two years since she returned to the tour after an extended maternity leave, Osaka is on an upward trajectory.[/p][image alt="Naomi Osaka in action during her third-round match against Belgium's Elise Mertens" id="4c8e12c0-2979-432e-a568-55f2f907cba5" credit-line="IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters / Geoff Burke" guid="f2d18f71-2cc8-4e8b-80f3-44f46826c0ff" original-width="4724" original-height="3149" /][p]She reached the Australian Open third round, made the last 16 at Roland Garros and had a best-ever quarter-final run at Wimbledon that included a victory over Sabalenka.[/p][p]She'll have to avoid the mid-match dips that marred her victories over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/siniakova-katerina/OKXs3Wah/"]Katerina Siniakova[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mertens-elise/Y1ZrrUtl/"]Elise Mertens[/a] if she's to have a chance to knock off Rybakina.[/p][p][b]"I know she's one of the best players in the world, so I have no choice but to come with a high level," [/b]Osaka said. "I think that's when the most exciting tennis is."[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/blockx-a-xll0TzGG/cerundolo-f-lWQ3G6gB/?mid=f3Se2wSs"]Francisco Cerundolo vs Alexander Blockx[/a][/b][/p][p][b]Blockx leads head-to-head 1-0[/b][/p][p]Upset third-round victories propelled Cerundolo and Blockx into new US Open territory.[/p][p]Cerundolo, the highest-ranked Latin American player on the ATP Tour, rallied from two sets down to topple ninth-seeded American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fritz-taylor/UH09iaZ6/"]Taylor Fritz[/a] and continue his best-ever run in Flushing Meadows.[/p][embed guid="8e4f70eb-5a0c-4cfc-8c32-9afd575b890f" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juPNB3_LNUU" social-type="youtube" /][p]The 21-year-old Belgian Blockx, seeded at a major for the first time, shocked fifth-seeded French Open finalist [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cobolli-flavio/zDtaCcPe/"]Flavio Cobolli[/a] in four sets to reach the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.[/p][p]Ranked 116th in the world 12 months ago, Blockx said that was his goal coming in - one he'll now need to reset.[/p][p]That starts with Cerundolo, who fell to Blockx in their only prior meeting at the clay court Madrid Masters this year.[/p][p]"Now, conditions are completely different,"[b] [/b]Blockx said. [b]"We are both really confident, playing good tennis, so it will be an exciting match."[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/swiatek-i-jNyZsXZe/zheng-q-xCyEhjAS/?mid=jBiLW0fm"]Iga Swiatek vs Zheng Qinwen[/a][/b][/p][p][b]Swiatek leads head-to-head 7-1[/b][/p][p]Six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek may have the upper hand in this rivalry, but Zheng's lone win over the Polish star was a big one - in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics on the way to singles gold.[/p][image alt="Winning probability" id="ebaa59e1-7ac1-45c8-81d8-a8f74a219717" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="fb6834b5-9f06-4d59-b635-2fda83756644" original-width="3840" original-height="2160" /][p]Since that triumph, Zheng has seen her rise derailed by injury, with a lengthier-than-expected return from elbow surgery last year seeing the former world number four's ranking plummet so far that she had to come through qualifying to gain a US Open berth.[/p][p]She'll ride the momentum of an epic comeback into her fourth-round clash with Swiatek, having rallied from 0-5 down in the final set to stun [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/keys-madison/QwU996PK/"]Madison Keys[/a] in three in the third round.[/p][p]The last qualifier to reach the US Open women's singles fourth round was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raducanu-emma/YmIZde1B/"]Emma Raducanu[/a], who went on to win the title in 2021.[/p][p]Swiatek will be a big obstacle in Zheng's path to a similar feat. Although she has endured a disappointing year by her standards, the Pole has come on strong in the build-up to the Open, capturing her first title of the year in Toronto.[/p][infobox id="3dc51b3a-107f-482b-9173-a97d347ef1b3" /]