Felix Auger-Aliassime beat 15th seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets to set up a US Open quarter-final tie against Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
The Canadian, 25, dominated the Russian 7-5 6-3 6-4 to progress to the last eight at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2021, when he reached the semi-finals.
Rublev had been the favourite before the match, given he had beaten Auger-Aliassime in seven of the pair’s previous eight matches.
But Auger-Aliassime, who won the US Open junior title in 2016, overpowered Rublev, hitting 42 winners to the Russian’s 22 and losing his serve just once.
The Canadian’s dominance irked Rublev, who smashed his racquet at the end of the second set and appeared frustrated as the match slipped away.
“I’ve played good in the past against Andrey, but I kept my cool and remained calm and poised to finish the match – that was the key,” said Auger-Aliassime.
“Today was my first time playing on Arthur Ashe in a few years but it feels even better than the first time.
“The first time at 21, I was on my way up. I’ve had a few setbacks, injuries and struggles with confidence, so to come back the second time to the quarter-finals, it feels much better and more deserved.
“I’m soaking up every moment here.”
The 25th seed’s reward for victory is a quarter-final match against eighth seed De Minaur, who was too strong for Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi in a 6-3 6-2 6-1 success.
‘No holding back’ for De Minaur in last eight
De Minaur needed just one hour and 33 minutes to reach the quarter-finals, although the Australian eighth seed was far from flawless against the world number 435.
Breaks apiece early in the first set suggested the crowd on Louis Armstrong Stadium were about to enjoy a close contest, but Riedi’s all-or-nothing aggressive game proved his downfall.
The 23-year-old faced seven break points in the first set alone, allowing De Minaur to sweep up in 32 minutes.
De Minaur set out his stall for the second set by breaking from 0-40 down and winning five straight games before Riedi enjoyed a brief resurgence.
The Australian made just 55% of his first serves in the second set, but felt little pressure as Riedi made 15 unforced errors.
Riedi did remarkably well to reach the last 16 after two separate operations at the end of last year, but a leg issue began to hamper him in the final set and his service game fell apart.
“I’ve always thought that the first job is to get there and give myself the opportunity,” said De Minaur, who has never been beyond the last eight of a major.
“This is my sixth quarter-final so I’ve got some experience. I know what to expect and the mindset going forward is going to be going for it. There’s no holding back.”
Later on Louis Armstrong Stadium, 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti beat Jaume Munar 6-3 6-0 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for the first time in his career – with a potential last-eight tie with compatriot Jannik Sinner to come.
Italian Musetti broke early in the first set and never looked back, hitting 12 winners compared to Munar’s three.
A visibly under-the-weather Munar failed to win a game in the second set, managing just five of the 29 points played.
The Spaniard perked up a little as he held to stop Musetti winning 10 straight games, and then should have broken but spurned three break points, with Musetti’s defensive game remaining impenetrable.
He will now face either top seed Sinner, the defending US Open champion, or 23rd seed Alexander Bublik in the last eight – they meet in the opening match of the night session.
