Coco Gauff kicked off her US Open journey with a commanding 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, Gauff entered Flushing Meadows as the home favorite and a serious contender for 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 this venue for four consecutive editions, and her next opponent will be either Russia’s Daria Kasatka or Spain’s Paula Badosa, depending on how the second‑round matches unfold. Speaking on court, Gauff admitted she felt unusually calm for such a high‑profile opening match. “I wasn’t that nervous today, which was a shock,” she said, smiling as she walked back onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
From the first point Gauff established dominance, breaking Sonmez’s serve early 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 and a blistering backhand that earned applause from the crowd and even a nod from Gauff herself. In the second set the Turkish player settled into a rhythm, trading breaks and probing Gauff with deep groundstrokes and occasional net approaches. Mid‑set, Gauff faced a brief scare, trailing 3‑2 and confronting three break points. She held serve under pressure, equalised the set, and then reclaimed the lead with a decisive break to go up 4‑3.
The American’s composure never wavered; she soon pulled away as Sonmez struggled to maintain the intensity that had briefly unsettled the fourth seed. Gauff closed out the match comfortably, finishing the contest in just under two hours. Reflecting on her performance, Gauff said, “I know I can raise my level if I need to.
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. But I was able to settle down.” In the women’s doubles draw, the Williams sisters will reunite to face the team of Hao‑Ching Chan and Maya Joint, the pair 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, exiting in the first round. They had hoped to team up at Wimbledon after Serena’s return to competition on grass, but Serena withdrew after a knee injury in her opening‑round singles match against Joint.
Now, at age 44, Serena is back on tour after a four‑year hiatus, though she suffered another knee issue in her recent loss to Joint, a 20‑year‑old Australian. The injury forced her out of the planned doubles match at the All England Club with her 46‑year‑old sister. The sisters also teamed up at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where they fell in the opening round to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.
Joint and Chan are seeded 14th in the women’s doubles field, and the first round of that competition begins on Thursday. Elsewhere in the tournament, second‑seed Elena Rybakina advanced with a 6‑3, 6‑2 win over teenage American wildcard Thea Frodin.
Frodin, who once portrayed Serena Williams in the tennis scenes of the Oscar‑winning film "King Richard," expressed excitement at the prospect of meeting the real Serena, noting that Will Smith had reposted one of her social‑media posts. On the men’s side, Alexander Zverev narrowly avoided becoming the first top‑seeded man to lose his opening match at a Grand Slam since 2003.
He survived a grueling five‑set battle against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, prevailing 6‑4, 3‑6, 6‑7(7), 7‑5, 6‑4 in a match that stretched into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Zverev, who captured his first major title at the French Open and was runner‑up at Wimbledon to Jannik Sinner before Sinner withdrew with a knee injury, had multiple chances to break Sonego’s serve but was unable to capitalise until the final set. His escape marks the first time a No.
1 seed has been pushed to the brink at the US Open since Stefan Edberg’s loss to Alexander Volkov in 1990. The match lasted 4 hours and 52 minutes, testing Zverev’s stamina and mental fortitude.
Fifth‑seed Flavio Cobolli also endured a five‑set thriller, edging Argentina’s Francisco Comesana, while ninth‑seed Taylor Fritz, a major hope for a home victory, 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 performance, defeating Spain’s Adolfo Álvarez 2‑6, 6‑2, 6‑1, 6‑0.
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 look forward to the Laver Cup at the O2 in London from September 25‑27, also shown on Sky Sports.