WHAT HAPPENED: At a tournament where he flourishes, Daniil Medvedev hoped to exact revenge on Benjamin Bonzi, the Frenchman who beat him in the first round at Wimbledon. But at the same stage of the US Open, Bonzi repeated the feat, notching one of the more notable upsets on Day 1 of the 2025 tournament in New York.
Medvedev has reached the second week of the previous six US Opens, and only once in that span did he exit before the quarterfinals. On Sunday, that impressive run was snapped when Bonzi completed a wildly fluctuating triumph, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4, under the lights in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I have no idea,” Bonzi replied when asked to summarize the match on court. “It was crazy. I may have got some new fans… the energy was wild. Match point in the third, then crazy scenario, then exhausted in the fourth, and give all I have in the fifth.”
“I never experienced something like that.”
At 5-4 in the third set, with Bonzi serving at match point, a photographer mistakenly entered the playing area between his first and second serves. The chair umpire called for the point to be replayed, meaning another first serve for Bonzi—much to Medvedev’s chagrin.
His complaints energized the crowd, and unrelenting crowd noise delayed play for several minutes. When the match resumed, Medvedev was a changed player. He snatched the third set in a tiebreak and romped through the fourth as Bonzi faltered physically.
Then came a dramatic fifth set, where players were practically inseparable until Medvedev’s own physical issues—a cramping playing hand—helped Bonzi break to complete an unforgettable win.
Medvedev, a former world No. 1 and US Open champion in 2021, has been struggling for form, unable to get past the second round of a major this season. Being seeded 13th at this US Open marked his first time outside the top five seedings at Flushing Meadows since 2018.
Until the match flipped, Bonzi had played a tactically astute match, executing consistent, focused tennis. In the first set he committed just half the number of unforced errors as his opponent (7 to 14) and won 90% of second-serve points as Medvedev struggled to control his return. He was also winning the majority of long rallies.
Medvedev hinted at a momentum swing in set two when he put away a leaping backhand smash to hold for 4-4, celebrating giddily, to the delight of the crowd. Yet Bonzi quashed that surge, breaking serve three games later with a powerful forehand winner and converting it to win the second set.
At 4-4 in the third set, Bonzi struck a backhand return winner to earn break points—the second of which he converted when Medvedev struck his eighth double-fault. Medvedev shrugged in disbelief towards his team, while Bonzi’s entourage were on their feet, sensing their man was on the brink of another big win.
And he came so close, reaching match point, only to have to fight back from level pegging in a dramatic fifth set. After five breaks of serve in the deciding frame, Bonzi clinched victory with an emphatic forehand passing shot, cueing massive celebrations under the Armstrong lights.
WHAT IT MEANS: Bonzi achieved his career-best ranking of world No. 42 back in February 2023, but you could argue he’s attained a higher level on court this season.
The 29-year-old recently beat Matteo Arnaldi, Lorenzo Musetti and Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the fourth round at the Cincinnati Open, an impressive result sandwiched between those two Slam wins over Medvedev—the latter of which could have a profound impact on his trajectory.
“I'm very proud of myself, the scenario of the match, [after missing] the match point in the third,” Bonzi reflected. “For me it's like my best victory ever. It's very special to do it here.”
Increasingly confident, he has risen to 46th in the ATP’s live rankings, within striking distance of his career high.
MATCH POINT: Against next opponent Marcos Giron—the American who overcame Mariano Navone in another five-set thriller—Bonzi will aim to equal his best US Open result.
The third round is a barrier he is yet to break at any of the four Slams.
