Coco Gauff kicked off her US Open quest with a confident straight‑sets victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, while the legendary Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, are slated to meet the pair of Maya Joint and Chan Hao‑Ching after Tuesday’s draw. Fresh off her triumph at the Cincinnati Open, Gauff arrived in New York as the home favorite, eyeing a third Grand Slam crown after her breakthrough title run in 2023.
The 22‑year‑old American has reached at least the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for four consecutive years, 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 stepped back onto the court I could barely keep a smile from spreading across my face." From the first game Gauff established dominance, breaking Sonmez’s serve early and sealing the opening set in just over thirty minutes. World No.
53 Sonmez displayed moments of brilliance, rattling off a series of powerful winners, including a blistering backhand that drew applause from the Arthur Ashe Stadium audience and even earned a nod from Gauff herself. In the second set the Turkish teenager settled in, trading service breaks and probing Gauff with deep groundstrokes and occasional net approaches. The match tightened when Gauff fell behind 3‑2, but she weathered three break points, held serve to level the set, and then broke back to re‑establish a 4‑3 lead.
From that point the American surged ahead, as Sonmez struggled to maintain the intensity that had briefly unsettled the fourth seed. Gauff closed out the encounter with a comfortable margin, confirming her status as a serious contender.
"I know I can raise my level whenever I need to," Gauff said post‑match. "I like to challenge my opponent to keep that level for the whole match, and if they do, I clap my hands and walk off the court with my head held high. I was able to settle down today." The doubles draw also generated excitement.
Serena and Venus Williams will reunite on court to take on the No. 14 seeded team of Hao‑Ching Chan and Australian youngster Maya Joint – the pair that handed Serena a defeat at Wimbledon earlier this summer. The sisters, who captured the US Open women’s doubles titles in 1999 and 2009, last teamed up 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 forced her to withdraw from her first‑round singles match against Joint, ending those plans. Serena, now 44, made a comeback this year after a four‑year hiatus but was again halted by a knee problem in her match against Joint. The injury also forced her out of the scheduled doubles match with Venus at the All England Club. The Williams sisters recently partnered at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where they suffered a first‑round loss to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.
In the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev fought back just in time to avoid becoming the first top‑seeded man to lose his opening Grand Slam match since 2003. The German star edged Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6‑4, 3‑6, 6‑7(7), 7‑5, 6‑4 in a marathon that stretched into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Zverev, who captured his maiden major at the French Open and was runner‑up at Wimbledon to Jannik Sinner, entered the US Open as the No. 1 seed after Sinner withdrew with a knee injury.
For much of the night Zverev could not find a decisive break of Sonego’s serve and hovered on the brink of becoming the first top seed to stumble in a first‑round match at a major since Ivo Karlović upset Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2003. The US Open had not seen a No. 1 seed eliminated in the opening round since Stefan Edberg’s loss to Alexander Volkov in 1990. Ultimately, Zverev broke Sonego late in the fourth set and held on to claim victory after a grueling 4‑hour‑52‑minute battle.
Other notable first‑round results included fifth‑seed Flavio Cobolli surviving a five‑set duel against Argentina’s Francisco Comesana, and ninth‑seed Taylor Fritz – a home‑court favorite – dispatching fellow American Darwin Blanch in straight sets. French veteran Gaël Monfils, who will retire at season’s end, celebrated his 40th birthday with a dominant 2‑6, 6‑2, 6‑1, 6‑0 win over Spain’s Adolfo Álvarez.
The tournament continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports from August 30, with streaming options available on NOW and the Sky Sports app, allowing fans to follow every rally without a contract. The Laver Cup will also be shown live from the O2 in London later in September, offering additional high‑level tennis action for viewers worldwide.