Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the US Open with a straightforward 6-3 6-4 6-1 win over China's Wu Yibing, extending his career-best Grand Slam winning streak to 17 matches. The result reinforces the Spaniard's status as a leading contender to retain his title, especially after a wide-open draw emerged following shock exits and injuries to several rivals, including world number one Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz, who missed 139 days with a wrist injury before this tournament, said he was recovering better than expected and feeling increasingly comfortable on court, despite 33 unforced errors and a modest 67% first-serve rate against Wu. As second seed he cannot meet top seed Alexander Zverev before the final, and his likely path includes Tommy Paul next, then possibly Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev, against both of whom he holds winning head-to-head records. Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime have already been eliminated, while former champion Medvedev also progressed on Friday with a straight-sets win over Arthur Rinderknech.