{"id":2065,"date":"2026-09-08T18:21:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T16:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/?p=2065"},"modified":"2026-09-08T18:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T16:21:31","slug":"us-open-day-9-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/2026\/09\/08\/us-open-day-9-3\/","title":{"rendered":"US Open &#8211; Day 9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Day 9 of the US Open 2026 completed the Round of 16, with Alexander Zverev, Iga \u015awi\u0105tek, and Elena Rybakina all advancing, while Botic van de Zandschulp and Karen Khachanov survived epic five-set battles. Coco Gauff beat fellow American Iva Jovic, and Naomi Osaka fell to Rybakina in a blockbuster clash.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfbe Men\u2019s Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Alexander Zverev<\/strong> def. Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Zverev looked dominant, serving 13 aces and firing 43 winners. He\u2019s now into his fourth straight Slam quarter-final.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Botic van de Zandschulp<\/strong> def. Arthur Gea 3-6, 6-7(6), 7-6(9), 7-6(3), 6-4\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A five-hour, 13-minute marathon where Gea held match point but couldn\u2019t close it out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Karen Khachanov<\/strong> def. Learner Tien 7-5, 4-6, 6-7(8), 6-1, 6-4\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Khachanov ended the young American\u2019s dream run in another five-set thriller.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alexander Blockx<\/strong> def. Francisco Cer\u00fandolo 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Belgian teenager continues his breakout, reaching his first Slam quarter-final.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s Results \u2013 Day 9 (Round of 16)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Qinwen Zheng<\/strong> def. Iga \u015awi\u0105tek 7-5, 6-3\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Zheng came back from 0-5 down in the first set, winning seven straight games to shock the former world No. 1.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Elena Rybakina<\/strong> def. Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rybakina\u2019s power overwhelmed Osaka, keeping her on track for a potential world No. 1 ranking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coco Gauff<\/strong> def. Iva Jovic 6-4, 6-2\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The defending champion looked composed, advancing in straight sets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mirra Andreeva<\/strong> def. Anastasia Potapova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Andreeva fought back from a set down, continuing her breakout run.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcca Fantasy League Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Big winners<\/strong>: Teams with Zheng, Rybakina, Gauff, and Andreeva scored heavily.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Upset pain<\/strong>: \u015awi\u0105tek\u2019s elimination punished managers banking on her consistency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dark horses<\/strong>: Zheng and Andreeva are proving to be unexpected point machines, boosting risk-taking managers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfc6 Prizes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what\u2019s up for grabs at the end of the tournament:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>R1000<\/strong> \u2013 Champion\u2019s purse \ud83d\udcb0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>R500<\/strong> \u2013 Runner-up reward<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>R300<\/strong> \u2013 Third place bonus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>R200<\/strong> \u2013 Fourth place prize<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>R100<\/strong> \u2013 Fifth place prize<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wooden Spoon &#8211; Last Place<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>And to keep things spicy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>2 x R50 spot prizes<\/strong> \ud83c\udfb2 \u2014 randomly awarded to positions <strong>17<\/strong> and <strong>42<\/strong> on the leaderboard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So even if you\u2019re mid-table, you could still walk away with a surprise win!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also a mystery prize which will be revealed after the US Open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcca Fantasy League Leaderboard Update \u2013 US Open 2026 (After Day 9)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Round of 16 is complete, and the leaderboard is heating up across all tiers \u2014 from the race for the crown to the battle for the wooden spoon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfc6 Top of the Table<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Christopher Columbus<\/strong> stays in <strong>first place<\/strong> with <strong>185 points<\/strong>, still the team to beat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hit and Run<\/strong> is closing in with <strong>179 points<\/strong>, just six points behind.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dropshots<\/strong> sits in third on <strong>174 points<\/strong>, keeping the podium battle alive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Serving looks<\/strong> (169) and <strong>Hot Shots<\/strong> (168) round out the top five, separated by a single point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u26a1 Mid-Table Movers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Canniballs<\/strong> (160) and <strong>Eish<\/strong> (156) are pushing hard to break into the top tier.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Super smash<\/strong> and <strong>Miny Moe<\/strong> are neck-and-neck in the 150s, showing how volatile the mid-table can be.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kids pick<\/strong> (154) and <strong>SINsational<\/strong> (153) are lurking just outside the top 10.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfaf Chasing Pack<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Teams like <strong>Tournament Director<\/strong> (150), <strong>Wobbles<\/strong> (149), and <strong>Arthur Ash&#8217;s Ace Mechanics<\/strong> (148) are still within striking distance of the top 10.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The 140s are crowded \u2014 <strong>Fantasy Alive<\/strong>, <strong>Nutty Choice<\/strong>, and <strong>Rock solid<\/strong> are all jostling for position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udeb5 Battle for the Wooden Spoon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At the other end of the table, the fight is just as fierce \u2014 nobody wants to finish last!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pat\u2019s Pick<\/strong> (97) and <strong>Le cote droit<\/strong> (96) are locked in a nail-biting duel for the <strong>wooden spoon<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Just above them, <strong>Hit and Miss<\/strong> (100) and <strong>SUPERFICIAL<\/strong> (103) are nervously looking over their shoulders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"548\" height=\"667\" src=\"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/image-19.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2068\" srcset=\"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/image-19.png 548w, http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/image-19-246x300.png 246w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 548px) 100vw, 548px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"549\" height=\"645\" src=\"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/image-20.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2069\" srcset=\"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/image-20.png 549w, http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/image-20-255x300.png 255w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Day 9 of the US Open 2026 completed the Round of 16, with Alexander Zverev, Iga \u015awi\u0105tek, and Elena Rybakina all advancing, while Botic van de Zandschulp and Karen Khachanov survived epic five-set battles. Coco Gauff beat fellow American Iva Jovic, and Naomi Osaka fell to Rybakina in a blockbuster clash. \ud83c\udfbe Men\u2019s Highlights \ud83c\udfbe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-open-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2070,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065\/revisions\/2070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}