Bittersweet day for American tennis at U.S. Open 

Of all the results, Navarro and Shelton's exits were the least expected. Navarro, who reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows last year, was primed to make another deep run at her home major, especially after reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and winning a WTA-500 title on the hard courts of Mexico earlier this year.

Shelton's exit was just as upsetting for American tennis. The sixth seed was in the form of his life heading into Friday's match, having gone 14-2 on hard courts this year, including winning his first ATP-1000 title in Toronto. Many believed the southpaw could replicate his semifinal run from the 2023 U.S. Open and inch closer to his first major title. Alas, he sustained a shoulder injury that forced him to retire after four sets against unseeded Adrian Mannarino, shattering his dreams. 

On the bright side, World No. 143 Townsend pulled off a shocking upset against No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, an opponent she had never beaten before. Townsend was coming off an emotional second-round win over Jelena Ostapenko, which was marred by a controversy that seemingly motivated the American to push herself further. A doubles specialist, Townsend on Friday reached the fourth round of a major for the first time since the 2019 U.S. Open, an outcome nobody predicted.

On Saturday, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova and Tommy Paul can strengthen the American contingent in the round of 16 by winning their respective third-round matches. While Gauff will face No. 28 Magdalena Frech, Anisimova will go up against unseeded Jaqueline Cristian. Paul, who survived Nuno Borges in a thrilling five-setter in the previous round, will have his hands full against World No. 23 Alexander Bublik.