NEW YORK (AP) - A quick look at the U.S. Open:
LOOKAHEAD TO FRIDAY
For the first time in 16 years, the men’s semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament will be contested without any of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic participating. Instead, the matchups at Flushing Meadows on Friday will feature a quartet of 20-somethings all seeking a first major championship. No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem of Austria faces No. 3 Daniil Medvedev of Russia in one semifinal, and No. 5 Alexander Zverev of Germany meets No. 20 Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain in the other. Thiem has reached three Grand Slam finals, going 0-3, with each loss to Djokovic or Nadal. Medvedev was the runner-up to Nadal in a thrill-a-minute five-set final at last year’s U.S. Open. This is the second major semifinal appearance for both Zverev and Carreño Busta; both lost their first attempt to get to a Grand Slam title match. The eventual champion will be the first man born in the 1990s to grab a Grand Slam trophy: Zverev is 23, Medvedev is 24, Thiem turned 27 a week ago, and Carreño Busta is 29. “Every single one of us deserves this first major title. Everybody will give it all,” Thiem said. “That’s what’s on the mind.”
FRIDAY’S FORECAST
Cloudy. High of 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius).
THURSDAY’S WEATHER
Rain. High of 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius).
THURSDAY’S RESULTS
Women’s Singles Semifinals: Victoria Azarenka beat No. 3 Serena Williams 1-6, 6-3, 6-3; No. 4 Naomi Osaka beat No. 28 Jennifer Brady 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3.
Men’s Doubles Final: Bruno Soares and Mate Pavic beat Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic 7-5, 6-3.
STAT OF THE DAY
7 - Number of years since Azarenka last appeared in a Grand Slam final; she will face Osaka for the U.S. Open title on Saturday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I did what I could today. I feel like other times I’ve been close and I could have done better. Today I felt like I gave a lot.” - Williams after falling short again of a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title.
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