Five of the most talented current players in the world never to win a Grand Slam singles title reached the US Open quarterfinals. For a number of reasons this might have represented their best chance for a breakthrough.

No.1 Ashleigh Barty and No.3 Naomi Osaka were knocked out of the competition by Shelby Rogers and Leylah Fernandez, respectively, and Serena Williams is at home with an injured hamstring.

For No.2 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 4 Karolina Pliskova, No.11 Belinda Bencic and No.17 Maria Sakkari, this is a massive opportunity.

“In life, not only in tennis life, but I think overall in life so many things can happen,” Pliskova said. “I don’t think this is a surprise. Every week actually there is something new or somebody new, some different player.

 “I think some of the young girls, they are playing really good tennis. I think the level is quite high no matter who is in the draw. Let’s see.”

Tuesday, one of those teenagers took down one of those a highly seeded veterans. The No.73-ranked Fernandez, in her second day as a 19-year-old, pulled off a third consecutive upset, sending home Svitolina after three sets.

US Open: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Later, Sabalenka reached her second consecutive major semifinal, defeating Barbora Krejcikova – the only Grand Slam singles champion remaining in the draw – in straight sets.

And then there is 18-year-old Emma Raducanu, ranked No.150.

Raducanu’s serve was broken to open her fourth-round match against Shelby Rogers, but down 2-0, she ran off an astonishing 11 consecutive games.

“I’m so happy,” she told the crowd, “to have managed to come through and overcome some of the nerves at the beginning.”

Raducanu had watched Sunday as fellow teenagers Carlos Alcaraz and Fernandez booked their spot in the quarters. 

“I mean, it definitely plays a part in motivation,” Raducanu admitted. “Like, I wanted to join them as well.”

Yes, let’s see how this shakes out. A closer look at Wednesday’s two remaining quarterfinal matches:

No.11 Belinda Bencic vs. Emma Raducanu

The pre-tournament draw would have placed No.1 Barty and No.7 Iga Swiatek in the first quarterfinal, but tennis doesn’t always play to form.

Instead, it’s Olympic gold medalist Bencic, who defeated Swiatek 7-6 (12), 6-3, against … Raducanu? The teenager from Great Britain, by far the lowest-ranked player left, stunned Rogers 6-2, 6-1.

Rogers, who had scored the upset of the tournament, stunning Barty in the third round, was out of sorts and departed after only 66 minutes.

Raducanu is only the third qualifier to reach a US Open quarterfinal in the Open era, which takes in more than half a century. She’s dropped only 15 games in four matches, the best among the remaining eight and the fewest here since 2013, when Serena Williams did it. And don’t forget, she won three qualifying matches just to get into the main draw. Make that 14-for-14 in sets – and the closest was 7-5 back in qualifying.

“I think the score lines are quite irrelevant because the matches and the dynamic and the games, a lot are going to deuce,” Raducanu said. “Those long games, like, one can win them, but it’s such a tight match. It’s very difficult to call. I’m feeling very confident and happy with how I’m performing out here in the States. I feel like I’m building with each match.

“I’m really excited to see what I can do on Wednesday.”

Something worth noting: Bencic is the first Top 20 player Raducanu has come up against in New York.

Bencic, who has also won all of her eight main-draw sets, survived a difficult first set against Swiatek. The frame required 84 minutes, and the tiebreaker alone went 22 minutes.

Afterward, Bencic credited the presence of spectators for helping to create that drama.

“I definitely feel like it could be the crowd, because it always brings you back into the match and they always want the person that’s losing, they always like cheer them on,” she said. “I definitely feel this is the first time like to have a big crowd again for us.

“So it’s very motivating, and maybe sometimes when you don’t play with people, it can a little bit slip away from you the match. Like this, maybe you fight more, I think.”

Raducanu is playing in only her second Grand Slam event at the senior level – and she’s won seven of eight matches. Soon, she’ll be a Top 100 player.

“Emma, of course, she’s up and coming and amazing talent,” Bencic said. “I didn’t see much yet how she played, but what I saw is definitely she’s very athletic, she’s moving great, and, I mean, she has great results.”

Bencic is enjoying her best summer, following a gold medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics. In eight years on tour, she’d only been deep into the second week of a major twice – at the 2014 and 2019 US Opens. Two years ago, she reached the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Bianca Andreescu.

“I feel like here I have had kind of my first big successes in a Grand Slam,” Bencic told reporters. “I was 17 when I made my first quarterfinal, so that also kind of gave me this idea. I definitely feel like it’s just adding to the experiences.”

Said Raducanu: “She’s in great form, having won Olympic gold. I’m also feeling good about my game, also confident with the amount of matches I’ve played. I feel like I’m building with each one. I know if I’m going to have a chance, I’m going to have to play some really good tennis.”

Head-to-head: 0-0.

No.4 Karolina Pliskova vs. No.17 Maria Sakkari

In a tournament awash in spectacular matches, Sakkari’s 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3 victory over Andreescu early Tuesday morning might have been the most dramatic.

It ran 3 hours, 30 minutes and ended at 2:13 a.m. – the latest finish on the women’s side in women’s US Open history.

Andreescu suffered what appeared to be a groin injury and left the court with a 3-2 lead in the third set. After she returned, Sakkari won the last four games of the match.

“I just kept fighting, and for me that’s all that matters,” Andreescu said afterward. “I did my best.”

Sakkari, 26, did just a little bit better, winning 132 points to Andreescu’s 129.

Pliskova beat No.14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-4; she also beat the Russian on her way to the 2016 US Open final.

The 29-year-old from the Czech Republic has drilled 50 aces in her past three matches – 24 against Amanda Anisimova, 20 in a third-round defeat of Ajla Tomljanovic and six against Pavlyuchenkova.

“Of course, serve kind of helped me,” Pliskova noted. “Although not that many aces as in last couple matches. I felt I had many free points. In the important moments I was able to serve pretty well.”

Pliskova managed to reach the quarters again here in 2017 and 2018.

“It’s good to be back in the second week as always on a Grand Slam,” she said. “It’s always the goal in the beginning of the Slam. I think it’s really good success that now I had Wimbledon finals of course and now I still have another chance to still go pretty far here in this tournament.

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“I mean, it’s pretty open. I think if I still play maybe not like today but like yesterday and the days before, I think I have a good chance to beat all those girls.”

Pliskova and Sakkari actually practiced together before the tournament began.

“She’s a very funny girl,” Sakkari said. “She has some experience, more experience than me. But I’m just going to stick to what I’m doing best, try to return as good as I can, because that’s I think the most important thing against Karolina.

“Just keep fighting, that’s it. That can take you far.”

Pliskova doesn’t disagree.

“She’s a fighter,” she said of Sakkari. “She actually I think really improved her game. She’s playing more aggressive than she used to play. She’s quite dangerous, beat good players this week.

“It’s going to be difficult. I think I can be the one more aggressive in this match.”

Head-to-head: 1-1, with Sakkari winning in a 2018 Rome Round of 32 match and Pliskova prevailing a year later in the semifinals at the same venue.