After a record-breaking US Open Fan Week, the main event began with a bang on Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Defending women's singles champion Iga Swiatek and returning semifinalist Frances Tiafoe kicked off the main-draw action with wins in Arthur Ashe Stadium, while fourth seed Holger Rune and eighth seed Maria Sakkari are the biggest upset victims of the day.
Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic headlined the Ashe evening session. A special ceremony in between their victories, complete with stirring speeches from Michelle Obama and Billie Jean King, celebrated the 50th anniversary of equal prize money at the US Open.
As far as the on-court action, we witnessed a total of 64 singles matches—32 each in the men's and women's draw—Day 1. Let's run through the biggest stories from Monday's action.
Gauff comes back for battling win, Djokovic cruises in nightcap
Gauff has been in the spotlight ever since her breakout Wimbledon run at the age of 15. But with her recent run of summer hard-court success, expecations are at an all-time high for the American at her home Slam.
Laura Siegemund gave the sixth seed all she could handle early in the Ashe evening opener, dominating the net on the way to taking the opening set. But after Gauff won a nearly 30-minute return game to open the second set, she never looked back. After two hours, 51 minutes, Gauff moved on with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Djokovic enjoyed a stress-free outing in his opener. He began his matchup against Alexandre Muller after 11 p.m. but was off the court in a tidy one hour, 35 minutes with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 win.
The result means the the Serb will take over from defending US open champion Carlos Alcaraz following the Flushing fortnight, regardless of the Spaniard's result in New York.
Tiafoe, Fritz lead charge for U.S. men
Earlier in Ashe, Tiafoe won an all-American showdown against wild card Learner Tien, 6-2, 7-5, 6-1. After falling agonizingly short of the final last year in a heartbreaking, five-set defeat to eventual champ Carlos Alcaraz, the 10th seed wasted no time in getting back into the win column in tennis' biggest stadium.
“It’s totally different on this court,” said Tiafoe. “I’ve got this crowd behind me. I have so many good memories from last year.”
Ninth seed Taylor Fritz was even more efficient in Louis Armstrong Stadium, blitzing compatriot Steve Johnson for a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 result in just one hour, 20 minutes—the joint-shortest men's match of the day.
Tommy Paul lived up to his billing as the 14th seed with a four-set win against Stefano Travaglia on Court 17, while 28th seed Chris Eubanks overcame a bagel third set against him to down Soonwoo Kwon in four.
Other American winners on Day 1 included Jennifer Brady (def. Kimberly Birrell), Mackenzie McDonald (def. Felix Auger-Aliassime), Danielle Collins (def. Linda Fruhvirtova), Taylor Townsend (def. Varvara Gracheva), Ben Shelton (def. Pedro Cachin), Bernarda Pera (def. Veronika Kudermetova), Lauren Davis (def. Danka Kovinic).
Swiatek, Rybakina race through
There were a number of quick-strike wins in the women's draw, but none faster than Collins' 52-minute decision against Fruhvirtova in the Grandstand in a 6-2, 6-0 romp.
Swiatek was not far behind, her 6-0, 6-1 Ashe victory against Rebecca Peterson also clocking in at under an hour. There's a lot on the line as the Pole seeks to defend her US Open crown and win her fifth major title.
Her world No. 1 ranking is also under threat in New York, with Sabalenka able to take over the top spot by matching or bettering Swiatek's run this fortnight. But for the Pole, that's not the main focus.
"I just keep trying to remind myself that I want to develop as a player and that's the most important thing for me," she said. "All the numbers and stuff, they don't really matter. I think that's what the best of our sport do. So, I'm trying to follow that and play my game no matter what."
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina also motored through her first-round win. The Australian Open champ beat Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 6-1, in one hour and 27 minutes.
Rune, Sakkari, Felix among upset victims
While plenty of big names advanced, Day 1 was not without it's fair share of shocks.
Men's fourth seed Holger Rune was knocked out by Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, and women's eighth seed Maria Sakkari lost a 6-4, 6-4 decision to Rebeka Masarova.
Felix Auger-Aliassime's difficult season continued in New York as Mackenzie McDonald denied him his first major victory since the Australian Open. The American was a 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 winner on Court 5.
Other big names to advance in the men's draw included returning finalist Casper Ruud (def. Emilio Nava) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (def. Milos Raonic).
Shot of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
“Injuries are always tough. But the toughest part is just not knowing when you’re going to compete again. The unknown is something that, it’s scary.” — Jennifer Brady, who returned to the US Open for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2020
Photo of the Day:
Tiafoe, aka "Big Foe," came prepared with backup sneakers for his victory in Ashe.
