Coco Gauff kicked off her US Open quest with a commanding 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 from her triumph in Cincinnati, the hometown favorite Gauff arrived in New York eager to add a third Grand Slam crown to her résumé following her breakthrough win at the 2023 US Open.
The 22‑year‑old American has reached at least the fourth round in each of the last four editions of the tournament, and she will now face either Daria Kasatkina or 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 spreading across my face." From the opening game, Gauff imposed her rhythm, snatching the sole break of serve in the first set and sealing the opening set in just over thirty minutes. Sonmez, ranked No.
53 in the world, displayed moments of brilliance, unleashing a series of powerful winners—including a blistering backhand that earned applause from the Arthur Ashe Stadium audience and even drew a nod from Gauff herself. In the second set the Turkish player settled in, trading breaks with the American and testing her with deep, penetrating groundstrokes and occasional net approaches. Gauff found herself down 3‑2, but she weathered three break points, held serve to even the set, and then broke Sonmez to re‑establish control at 4‑3.
The American’s composure never wavered; she pulled away as Sonmez struggled to maintain the high level that had briefly unsettled the fourth seed. Ultimately, Gauff wrapped up a comfortable win.
"I know I can raise my level when I need to," Gauff reflected. "I like to challenge my opponent to keep the intensity up for the whole 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 once again in the women’s doubles, taking on the No. 14 seeded pair of Hao‑Ching Chan and Maya Joint—who famously defeated Serena at Wimbledon earlier this summer. The sisters, who captured the US Open doubles titles in 1999 and 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 brief return to competition on grass in June, but Serena withdrew after sustaining a knee injury in her first‑round singles match against Joint.
Serena, now 44, made her comeback this year after a four‑year hiatus, only to lose to the 20‑year‑old Australian Joint. The knee injury forced her out of the planned doubles match at the All England Club alongside 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 draw, Alexander Zverev narrowly escaped becoming the first top‑seeded man to fall in the opening round of a Grand Slam since 2003. The German star survived a grueling five‑set battle against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, winning 6‑4, 3‑6, 6‑7(7), 7‑5, 6‑4.
Zverev, who captured his maiden major at the French Open and was runner‑up to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed after Sinner withdrew with a right‑knee injury.
Zverev struggled to break Sonego’s serve for much of the night and was in danger of joining the short list of top seeds who have stumbled in their opening match—an occurrence not seen at the US Open since Stefan Edberg’s loss to Alexander Volkov in 1990. After nearly five hours of play, Zverev finally broke late in the fourth set and held on to claim the match, averting what could have been a historic upset.
Other notable results included fifth seed Flavio Cobolli fighting through five sets to defeat Argentine Francisco Comesana, and ninth seed Taylor Fritz—one of the United States’ best hopes for a home victory—dispatching fellow American Darwin Blanch in straight sets. French veteran Gaël Monfils, who announced his retirement at the end of the season, celebrated his 40th birthday in style with a 2‑6, 6‑2, 6‑1, 6‑0 win over Spain’s Adolfo Álvarez.
The US Open continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports from August 30, with additional streaming options available on NOW and the Sky Sports app. Fans can also look forward to the Laver Cup at the O2 in London from September 25‑27, which will be shown live on Sky Sports.