Coco Gauff kicked off her US Open bid with a convincing straight‑sets victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, while the legendary Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, are slated to meet Maya Joint and Chan Hao‑Ching after Tuesday’s draw. Fresh off her triumph in Cincinnati, the home‑favorite Gauff is eyeing a third Grand Slam crown following her breakthrough win in New York last year.
The 22‑year‑old American has reached at least the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for four consecutive editions and will now draw either Daria Kasatkina or Paula Badosa in round two. "I wasn't that nervous today, which was a shock," Gauff remarked from the baseline.
"When I walked back onto this court, I was trying to hold back a smile." Her composure was evident from the first point, as she seized the only service break of the opening set and wrapped it up in just over thirty minutes. World No. 53 Sonmez displayed moments of brilliance, unleashing a series of powerful winners, including a blistering backhand that drew applause from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd and even earned a nod from Gauff herself. The 24‑year‑old settled into a rhythm in the second set, trading breaks with the American and probing her with deep groundstrokes and occasional net approaches.
Gauff faced a brief scare, trailing 3‑2, but she fended off three break points, held serve to level the set, and then broke Sonmez again to re‑establish control at 4‑3. From that point the fourth seed pulled away, as Sonmez struggled to maintain the intensity that had briefly unsettled her opponent. Gauff closed the match comfortably, sealing a 6‑4, 6‑2 win.
"I know that I can raise my level if I need to," Gauff said after the match. "I like to challenge my opponent to keep up that level the whole match, and if they do, I clap my hands and walk off the court with my head held high. But I was able to settle down." Her calm demeanor and tactical discipline signaled that she is ready to contend for the title once more.
In the women's doubles draw, Serena and Venus Williams will reunite to take on the No. 14 seeded pair of Hao‑Ching Chan and Australia's Maya Joint – the duo that defeated Serena at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
The sisters, who 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 regroup at Wimbledon after Serena’s return to competition in June, but a knee injury forced Serena to withdraw from her first‑round singles match against Joint, ending those plans. Serena, now 44, made her comeback this year after a four‑year hiatus but was forced to pull out of the Wimbledon doubles match after the knee issue resurfaced.
The pair later teamed up at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, losing in the first round to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. The women’s doubles first round commences on Thursday, and the Williams sisters will be eager to prove that their chemistry remains intact despite the long gap between appearances. On the men’s side, Alexander Zverev escaped a historic first‑round upset, edging 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, the tournament’s top seed, had previously won his maiden major at Roland Garros and fell to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final. He became the No. 1 seed after Sinner withdrew with a knee injury.
The German star was on the brink of becoming the first top‑seeded man to lose his opening match at a Grand Slam since Ivo Karlović upset Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2003. The US Open had not seen such an upset since Stefan Edberg’s loss to Alexander Volkov in 1990. After a grueling 4‑hour‑52‑minute battle, Zverev finally broke Sonego’s serve late in the fourth set and held on to claim the win. Other notable first‑round results included fifth seed Flavio Cobolli surviving a five‑set thriller against Argentina’s Francisco Comesana, while ninth seed Taylor Fritz, a fan favourite hoping for a home victory, dispatched fellow American Darwin Blanch in straight sets.
French veteran Gaël Monfils, who plans to retire at the end of the season, celebrated his 40th birthday in style with a 2‑6, 6‑2, 6‑1, 6‑0 triumph over Spain’s Adolfo Álvarez. The US Open continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports from August 30, with streaming options available on NOW and the Sky Sports app. Fans can also catch the upcoming Laver Cup at the O2 in London from September 25‑27, also on Sky Sports.