Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff started with a smooth beginning at the US Open, while Dominic Thiem bid farewell to the tournament, where he has previously enjoyed great success. Djokovic, aiming to become the first player to win 25 Grand Slam titles, concluded the evening session at Arthur Ashe Stadium with a convincing victory of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 against Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot.
Three weeks after winning the singles event at the Paris Games, Djokovic entered the court with his rackets and equipment in a pair of gold-colored bags, receiving a hero’s welcome from the audience. However, the Serbian star faced a tougher match than anticipated, struggling with his serve and making nearly double the amount of errors compared to winners. Despite this, Djokovic had plenty of firepower to manage Albot and secure his record 78th victory at Arthur Ashe under a closed roof.
“I wasn’t aware of it, to be honest,” Djokovic commented on his performance in the main stadium. “It’s definitely the highest stadium we have in the history of our sport.” He also expressed concerns about late matches: “I can feel I’m tired now. I’m shutting down.” He hopes to play early in the future so that he can finish matches at a more reasonable time.
Meanwhile, Gauff, who is a hometown favorite and the defending women’s champion, cruised through with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over French player Varvara Gracheva. Gauff, who had disappointing results in Toronto and Cincinnati, stated, “The past few weeks have been tough, but I don’t need to prove anything to anyone other than myself.”
Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, one of the favorites after winning the Australian Open, also shined as she defeated Australian Priscilla Hon with a score of 6-3, 6-3. The former runner-up aims to become the first woman to win two hardcourt majors in the same year since Angelique Kerber in 2016.
Chinese Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen opened the matches at Louis Armstrong Stadium with a comeback victory over Amanda Anisimova, while her compatriot Wang Yafan advanced after ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari withdrew due to an injury.
However, it was the end for Austrian player Thiem, who is heading towards retirement at the end of the season due to wrist issues. He lost 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to American player Ben Shelton. Diego Schwartzman also had to bid farewell to Flushing Meadows after his defeat to French player Gael Monfils.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev, who lost the final to Thiem four years ago, began his pursuit of a first major title with a victory over Maximilian Marterer. Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe also advanced to the second round, while Denmark’s Holger Rune was eliminated from the tournament by American Brandon Nakashima.
The tournament promises to be exciting with more surprises and drama as the players continue to battle for the titles.