After a record-breaking Fan Week, the 2025 US Open's main event began with the first-ever Sunday start at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Defending women's singles champion Aryna Sabalenka and returning men's singles finalist Taylor Fritz kicked off the main-draw action with wins in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, respectively, while former champ Emma Raducanu cruised through a dominant opening victory of her own.
Novak Djokovic and Jasmine Paolini began the night session with battling stadium wins, both gutting out pivotal second-set tiebreaks, before a Jessica Pegula victory closed the evening's curtains in Ashe. The evening's final match saw one of Day 1's biggest upsets, with Benjamin Bonzi knocking out 2021 champ Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller.
Let's take a trip around the grounds with some of the biggest stories from Sunday's US Open action, featuring the top half of the women's singles draw and the bottom half of the men's tournament.
Shelton, Sabalenka power through in Ashe
American Ben Shelton, a semifinalist here in 2023, entered this year's event at a career high of world No. 6. He lived up to that billing in the tournament's opening match in Ashe, easing past qualifier Ignacio Buse, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, without losing a service game.
Reigning champion Sabalenka navigated a stressful start in her opener against Rebeka Masarova, coming back from a break down in the opening set and escaping 0-40 in the first game of set two before turning on the jets for a 7-5, 6-1 victory. The 7-5 opening set was her third consecutive frame by that scoreline in New York, following a 7-5, 7-5 title-clincher against Jessica Pegula in last year's final.
"I love to be defending champion," said Sabalenka, who also had that honor at this year's Australian Open, where she was denied a repeat by Madison Keys in a three-set final. "For me, it's motivation, and I want to do well. I want to do the same that I did last year. I want to feel those emotions, and I really worked hard for that."
"I hope that I'll be able to reach my goal here."
Djokovic and Pegula completed a perfect Day 1 for the seeded player in Ashe with a pair of evening victories. The seventh-seeded Djokovic overcame a toe blister in a 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 result against American Learner Tien, before fourth seed Pegula stormed back from 4-1 down in the second set for a 6-0, 6-4 decision over Egypt's Mayar Sherif.
Raducanu makes statement in Louie
In the namesake stadium of legendary trumpet player Louis Armstrong, Raducanu sounded a klaxon with an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 win against Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara—a warning to the field that she is a threat for another deep run in New York.
The victory was the first US Open win for Raducanu since her shock title run in 2022: "It has been on my mind. It's been four years, and it's a very special tournament for me," she said of the drought. "I did feel different coming into it this year. I felt like I was doing the right things day to day, but still, it's in the back of your head. So I'm just very pleased to have overcome that."
The 22-year-old Briton signaled a return to top form when she pushed world No. 1 Sabalenka to a third-set tiebreak two weeks ago in Cincinnati. With the help of new coach Francisco Roig, a former longtime coach of Rafael Nadal, Raducanu has brought the same elite level into New York, facing (and saving) the only break point she faced in her opener.
Leylah Fernandez, Raducanu's opponent in the 2021 final, laid down an early marker of her own with a 6-2, 6-1 win in an all-Canadian matchup with wild card Rebecca Marino. She fought off all five break points against her in Stadium 17.
Americans Fritz and Caty McNally also made smooth starts in Louis. Fritz was a 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 winner against wild card Emilio Nava, while McNally dismissed Jil Teichmann, 6-2, 6-2.
In an all-U.S. showdown against Nava (who earned his place in the main draw by winning the USTA's US Open Wild Card Challenge), Fritz battled out of a 15-40 hole in the opening game and took control of the match after notching his first break of the afternoon to secure the opening set.
"It's the first round of the Open. Most Slams in general, it's just first round you come out, it's a little nervy and you kind of just get over the hump of the first set," he said. "Then I can relax a bit and just play a bit better through the match. I'm just happy to get through that tight first set."
After Paolini opened the Armstrong night session with a 6-2, 7-6(4) win over Destanee Aiava, Bonzi and Medvedev were the last match standing on Day 1. Only Bonzi was still standing in the men's draw after their three-hour, 45-minute tussle.
The Frenchman, who also beat Medvedev in the Wimbledon first round, repeated the feat in New York—but not after missing out on a match point in the third set of an eventual 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 triumph.
Eala's comeback starts the party on Grandstand
Alexandra Eala, who became the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles title at the 2022 US Open, marked her New York main-draw debut with a match she and the Grandstand crowd will never forget.
Trailing 14th seed Clara Tauson, 5-1, in the final set, the 20-year-old won six straight games and ultimately clinched victory on her fifth match point, falling to the floor in celebration after the 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(11) result.
Check out the results from all the Day 1 matches, and keep up with the men's singles draw and women's singles draw as play continues throughout the fortnight.
Shot of the Day: Shelton says hello in Ashe...
Quote of the Day: “[Althea Gibson] was the trailblazer for African Americans in tennis. If it wasn’t for her and Arthur Ashe, as well, who knows if my dad is ever playing tennis as a Black kid in Alabama in the ‘70s and ‘80s. It still wasn’t easy, but I think that they’re the ones who made it possible.” — Ben Shelton reflects on the 75th anniversary of Althea Gibson breaking the color barrier in tennis
Tweet of the Day: Who said it best? Welcome to Nuevayol!
Parting Shot: Fritz fires from the shadows in Armstrong...
