Coco Gauff kicked off her US Open campaign with a convincing straight‑sets victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, while the legendary Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, are slated to meet the Taiwanese‑Australian pair Maya Joint and Chan Hao‑Ching after Tuesday’s draw. Fresh from her triumph at the Cincinnati Open, the home‑favorite Gauff arrived in New York with momentum on her side and a clear goal: to capture a third Grand Slam title after her breakthrough win at the 2023 US Open. The 22‑year‑old has reached at least the fourth round in each of the last four editions of the tournament, and she will now face either Russia’s Daria Kasatkina or Spain’s Paula Badosa in the second round. "I wasn’t that nervous today, which was a surprise to me," Gauff told the crowd after the match.
"When I walked back onto the court I could barely keep a smile from showing." From the first point, Gauff dictated play, breaking Sonmez’s serve early and sealing the opening set in just over thirty minutes. World No.
53 Sonmez displayed flashes of brilliance, unleashing a series of powerful winners, including a thunderous backhand that earned applause from the Arthur Ashe Stadium audience and even a nod of respect from Gauff herself. In the second set Sonmez settled in, trading service breaks and testing the American with deep, penetrating groundstrokes and occasional net approaches.
Gauff felt the pressure when she fell behind 3‑2, but she saved three break points, held serve, and leveled the set before breaking again to regain the initiative at 4‑3. From there, the American surged ahead as Sonmez struggled to maintain the intensity that had briefly unsettled the fourth seed.
Gauff closed the match comfortably, finishing the contest in just under an hour and a half. "I know I can raise my level when I need to," Gauff said after the win. "I like to challenge my opponent to keep that level for the entire match, and if they do, I’ll clap my hands and walk off the court with my head held high.
But I was able to settle down today." The doubles draw also generated excitement. Serena and Venus Williams will team up for the women’s doubles, taking on the No. 14 seeded duo of Hao‑Ching Chan and Maya Joint – the same pair that defeated Serena at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
The sisters, who previously captured the US Open doubles crown in 1999 and again in 2009, last partnered at a Grand Slam in New York in 2022, where they fell in the opening round. They had hoped to reunite at Wimbledon after Serena’s return to competition in June, but a knee injury sustained in her first‑round singles match against Joint forced her to withdraw from the doubles event.
Serena, now 44, made her comeback this year after a four‑year hiatus, only to lose to Joint, a 20‑year‑old Australian, in a tightly contested match that left her with a knee strain and forced her out of the planned Wimbledon doubles partnership with her 46‑year‑old sister. The pair recently teamed up at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where they were upset in the first round by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. In the men’s singles, Alexander Zverev escaped a potential historic upset, edging Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6‑4, 3‑6, 7‑6(7), 7‑5, 6‑4 in a marathon that stretched into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Zverev, who captured his first major title at Roland Garros and was runner‑up to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, entered the tournament as the top seed after Sinner withdrew with a right‑knee injury.
The German had several chances to break Sonego’s serve throughout the night but was unable to capitalize, putting him at risk of becoming the first No. 1 seed to fall in his opening Grand Slam match since Ivo Karlović upset Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2003. The last time a top seed lost in the first round at the US Open was Stefan Edberg’s defeat by Alexander Volkov in 1990.
Zverev finally broke through late in the fourth set, sealing the win after a grueling 4‑hour‑52‑minute battle. Other notable first‑round results included fifth seed Flavio Cobolli surviving a five‑set thriller against Argentina’s Francisco Comesana, and ninth seed Taylor Fritz – a leading hope for an American champion – dispatching fellow U.S. player Darwin Blanch in straight sets.
French veteran Gaël Monfils, who announced his retirement at the end of the season, celebrated his 40th birthday with a dominant performance, beating Adolfo Alvarez 2‑6, 6‑2, 6‑1, 6‑0. The tournament’s schedule continues to unfold across multiple platforms.
Fans can stream matches contract‑free via NOW, follow live scores and results, and enjoy highlight reels and best‑shot compilations. Sky Sports will broadcast the US Open from August 30, and the Sky Sports app offers additional news, video content, and on‑demand features. Overall, the opening day delivered a blend of expected triumphs and narrow escapes, setting the stage for a compelling second week as the world’s best players vie for the coveted New York titles.