Coco Gauff kicked off her US Open journey with a straight‑sets triumph 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 Cincinnati Open title, the American home favorite is eyeing a third Grand Slam crown after her breakthrough win in New York last year. Gauff, who has reached at least the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for four consecutive editions, will draw either Daria Kasatkina or Paula Badosa in round two. "I wasn’t that nervous today, which was a surprise," Gauff told the crowd after her match.
"When I stepped back onto the court I could barely keep a smile from showing." From the first game, Gauff established dominance, breaking Sonmez’s serve once in the opening set and sealing it in just over thirty minutes. Sonmez, ranked No. 53, flashed moments of brilliance, producing a series of powerful winners and 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 and probing Gauff with deep groundstrokes and occasional net rushes.
Gauff faced a brief scare, trailing 3‑2, but repelled three break points to hold serve and even the set. She then broke Sonmez again to regain the lead at 4‑3 and never looked back.
The 22‑year‑old pulled away as Sonmez struggled to sustain the intensity that had briefly unsettled the fourth seed, allowing Gauff to close out the match comfortably. "I know I can raise my level when I need to," Gauff said post‑match.
"I like to challenge my opponent to keep that intensity for the whole match, and if they do, I clap my hands and walk off with my head held high. I was able to settle down today." In the women’s doubles draw, the Williams sisters will reunite to face the No. 14‑seeded pair of Hao‑Ching Chan and Maya Joint, the Australian who upset Serena at Wimbledon earlier this summer. The sisters, who captured the US Open doubles crown in 1999 and 2009, last teamed up at a Grand Slam in New York in 2022, falling in the opening round.
They had hoped to reunite at Wimbledon after Serena’s return to competition in June, but Serena withdrew after a knee injury in her first‑round singles match against Joint. At 44, Serena made her comeback this year after a four‑year hiatus, only to lose to Joint and aggravate her knee, forcing her out of the planned doubles partnership at the All England Club.
The pair also paired up at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where they were beaten in the first round by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. Joint and Chan, seeded 14th, will open their campaign on Thursday when the women’s doubles first round begins. Second‑seed Elena Rybakina advanced as well, dispatching teenage American wildcard Thea Frodin 6‑3, 6‑2.
Frodin, who once doubled for Serena in the tennis scenes of the Oscar‑winning film "King Richard," said, "I haven’t met her yet, but I hope to get the chance soon. Seeing Will Smith repost one of my posts was a cool experience." On the men’s side, Alexander Zverev fought back just in time to avoid becoming the first top‑seeded man to lose his opening match at a Grand Slam since 2003. He edged 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 claimed his first major at the French Open and fell to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, was elevated to the No.
1 seed after Sinner withdrew with a knee injury. Throughout the night Zverev struggled to break Sonego’s serve, flirting with the historic upset that has only occurred once before at the US Open (Stefan Edberg’s loss to Alexander Volkov in 1990). After nearly five hours, Zverev finally secured a late break and sealed the win.
Other notable results included fifth‑seed Flavio Cobolli surviving five sets against Argentine Francisco Comesana, while ninth‑seed Taylor Fritz, a home‑court hope, dispatched 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 with a dominant 2‑6, 6‑2, 6‑1, 6‑0 victory over Adolfo Alvarez. 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 in London’s O2 Arena from September 25‑27 on Sky Sports.