While 6-time US champion Serena Williams is on track to win a record equaling 24th women's singles grand slam title, World No.1 Novak Djokovic who was the rank favourite in the men's singles draw and certainly looked every bit promising to close in on Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal's (19) all time grand slam tally had to exit out from the grand slam in the most unassuming and bizarre fashion.
A moment of madness from the Serbian ace in his fourth round encounter against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta led to his ouster and dashed his dreams to rack up a fourth US Open title. Novak Djokovic was kicked out of the US Open for accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a tennis ball after dropping a game in his fourth-round match
With Djokovic out from the US Open, the remaining men's singles field which still comprises of some world class players in their own merit, and touted second best to Djokovic at winning the title, have a realistic chance of winning their maiden Grand Slam.
A closer look at the US Open men's singles quarterfinal and semifinal lineup establishes the fact that Number 2 seed Dominic Thiem, third seed Daniil Medvedev and No.5 seed Alexander Zverev are very much in line of winning their first ever Grand Slam title.
While the No.5 seed and big serving German Alexander Zverev moved a step closer to achieve his dream of winning a maiden grand slam on the back of securing a semifinal berth post defeating Croat Borna Coric in the quarters, Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta who was the beneficiary from Djokovic's shocking ouster, booked his place in the semis after edging Canadian Denis Shapovalov in a grueling five set marathon quarterfinal encounter.
If Dominic Theim gets past Australian A De Minaur in his quarterfinal clash and Russia's Daniil Medvedev wins his last eight encounter against 10th seed fellow Russian Andrey Rublev, we could be in for a mouth watering semifinal clash between the second seed Austrian and third seed Russian. Meanwhile, big serving German Alexander Zverev will start as the favorite to win his semifinal encounter against his Spanish opponent Pablo Carreno Busta.
Such has been the hegemony of the 'Big 3' at the Grand Slams that the last thirteen men's singles grand slam titles were won by one of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. Stanislas Wawrinka's 2016 US Open win was the last time when a tennis player outside the 'Big 3' lay hands to a men's singles Grand Slam trophy.
With the 'Big 3' not present in the semifinal stage of a grand slam in nearly a decade, the long wait for one among the much famed 'Next Gen' to lift their maiden Grand Slam title is certain.
Both Theim and Medvedev have made it to the title clashes of grand slams in the past but faltered at the hands of their much more experienced and fancied counterparts at the final hurdle.
While Theim has lost three grand slam finals in his career, two of them to Rafael Nadal at back to back French Opens in 2018 and 2019 and one earlier this year to Novak Djokovic in the 2019 Australian Open; Medvedev ended up as the losing finalist to Rafael Nadal in the previous edition of the US Open at Flushing Meadows.
Zverev who has equaled his career best Grand Slam performance by making it to his second straight semifinal appearance at the Slams will hope that his fairy-tale run extends for two more matches and he can emulate the feat of having won a Grand Slam like his illustrious German in Boris Becker and Michael Stich.
While there is no doubt that there is plenty of grand slam experience between these long time potential contenders for the lifting the US Open trophy, the biggest question remains is who among them has the mental fortitude to come out as a winner in those crunch situations when the grand finale of the men's singles unfolds at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in a week's time from now.
Djokovic's exit by accident or misfortune meant that the decade plus stranglehold by the 'Big 3' over Grand Slam titles eventually came to end..In a week's time, the world will have a first-time US Open winner in 4 years and more importantly a new men's singles grand slam champion, ending one of the most dominating periods in men's tennis.