Six of the top 10 men's seeds, including former US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz, crashed out of the tournament before the fourth round, despite the absence of injured top seed Jannik Sinner creating what looked like a rare opening for rivals. The upsets highlight both the intense psychological pressure on players chasing their first Grand Slam title and growing concerns that the men's game has become a two-horse race dominated by Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have won 10 of the last 11 major singles titles between them.

Among the fallen seeds were Novak Djokovic, who retired early citing his body letting him down, and Felix Auger-Aliassime and Flavio Cobolli, who blamed dizziness and fatigue respectively; Daniil Medvedev's exit on Sunday left only Alexander Zverev, defending champion Alcaraz and Ben Shelton from the world's top 10 still in contention. Players and commentators pointed to a demanding season, illness and the physical toll of New York's heat as contributing factors, with Belgium's Alexander Blockx, who beat Cobolli, remarking "we're not robots". By contrast, the women's draw has been far steadier, with 11 of the top 16 seeds, led by Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, reaching the fourth round without dropping a set.