Carlos Alcaraz launched the defence of his US Open crown with a brisk victory after his opponent suffered an injury on Tuesday. Third seed Daniil Medvedev also strolled into the second round with a quick-fire win.
Alcaraz, returning to the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where he lifted his first Grand Slam as a teenager a year ago, was always in control after Germany’s Dominik Koepfer rolled his left ankle badly in the opening game.
Koepfer tried to continue despite being in obvious discomfort, but finally called it quits while trailing 3-2 in the second set after dropping the first 6-2.
“That’s not the best way to get through into another round,” said world No 1 Alcaraz. “But I have to say on my side I was playing great.”
Alcaraz, who faces Lloyd Harris of South Africa in the second round, is on course to face 2021 US Open champion Medvedev in the semi-finals.
Medvedev, Murray advance
Medvedev opened his account on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Hungary’s Attila Balazs in just 74 minutes.
The Russian will face Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in the second round on Thursday for a spot in the last 32.
“That’s probably the fastest three-set match I played,” Medvedev said after his blistering demolition of Balazs.
While Alcaraz and Medvedev cruised into the second round, Karen Khachanov – a semi-finalist at last year’s US Open – was on the wrong end of a first-round upset.
The 11th-seeded Russian was bounced out in straight sets by American world No 89 Michael Mmoh, losing 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Germany’s 12th seed Alexander Zverev, runners-up at Flushing Meadows in 2020, never looked in danger of following Khachanov out of the tournament, registering a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.
Jannik Sinner, the Italian sixth seed, trounced Yannick Hanfmann of Germany 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.
In other men’s games on Tuesday, British veteran Andy Murray downed France’s Corentin Moutet 6-2, 7-5, 6-3, in a match that saw a bungled attempt to use the US Open’s new video review technology for the first time.
Chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell attempted to deploy the system after Moutet requested a review following a double-bounce call.
The umpire was forced to abandon the attempt however after discovering officials were unable to properly access footage of the incident.
“I don’t know how the technology works,” Murray said. “But it obviously didn’t go to plan in a pretty important moment of the match. So, yeah, it would be good if they could get that fixed.”
Meanwhile, China sealed a notable first when Wu Yibing beat Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to join compatriot Zhang Zhizhen in the second round.
It is the first time in tennis’s Open era that two Chinese men have reached the second round of the same Grand Slam tournament.
Ailing Jabeur prevails
In the women’s draw meanwhile, another semi-finalist from 2022 also made an early exit, with French seventh seed Caroline Garcia slumping to a 6-4, 6-1 loss against Chinese qualifier Wang Yafan.
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, desperate to land her first Grand Slam title after losing in three major championship finals in 2022 and 2023, survived a medical scare before scraping past Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
The 29-year-old fifth seed looked out of sorts throughout her 7-5, 7-6 (4) win, at one stage in the opening set complaining of breathing difficulties before taking an extended medical timeout.
Jabeur has played only one tournament since being upset in last month’s Wimbledon final by unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
Vondrousova, seeded ninth in New York, cruised into the second round on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-0 win over South Korean qualifier Han Na-Lae.
Third seed Jessica Pegula meanwhile kept home hopes alive with a clinical 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Italy’s Camila Giorgi.
But there was disappointment for American icon Venus Williams, competing in her record-extending 24th US Open.
Williams was beate 6-1, 6-1 by Belgium’s Greet Minnen – who was just a few weeks old when Williams reached her first US Open final back in 1997.
Williams, 43, whose ranking has fallen to 410th in the world after a season disrupted by injury, refused to give any clue as to when she may follow her sister Serena into retirement.
Asked what would be the decisive factor in determining her next career move, she replied: “I wouldn’t tell you so I don’t know why you’re asking.”
Results from day two of the US Open at USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Tuesday (x denotes seed):
Men’s singles first round
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP x1) bt Dominik Koepfer (GER) 6-2, 3-2 - retired
Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-4
Botic van de Zandschulp (NED) bt Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-3 - retired
Dan Evans (GBR x26) bt Daniel Elahi Galan (COL) 6-4, 6-2, 7-5
Arthur Fils (FRA) bt Tallon Griekspoor (NED x24) 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
Matteo Arnaldi (ITA) bt Jason Kubler (AUS) 6-3, 3-0 - retired
Hsu Yu-hsiou (TPE) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Cameron Norrie (GBR x16) bt Alexander Shevchenko (RUS) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Alexander Zverev (GER x12) bt Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Daniel Altmaier (GER) bt Constant Lestienne (FRA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-2
Andy Murray (GBR) bt Corentin Moutet (FRA) 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x19) bt Alex Molcan (SVK) 6-7 (9/11), 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (11/9)
Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG x30) bt Otto Virtanen (FIN) 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/5)
Stan Wawrinka (SUI) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-4
Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) bt Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Jannik Sinner (ITA x6) bt Yannick Hanfmann (GER) 6-3, 6-1, 6-1
Daniil Medvedev (RUS x3) bt Attila Balazs (HUN) 6-1, 6-1, 6-0
Christopher O’Connell (AUS) bt Max Purcell (AUS) 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5)
Felipe Meligeni Alves (BRA) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-4, 7-6 (13/11), 6-3
Sebastian Baez (ARG) bt Borna Coric (CRO x27) 7-5, 7-5, 6-1
Nicolas Jarry (CHI x23) bt Luca Van Assche (FRA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3)
Alex Michelsen (USA) bt Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Wu Yibing (CHN) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Alex de Minaur (AUS x13) bt Timofey Skatov (KAZ) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
Michael Mmoh (USA) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x11) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
John Isner (USA) bt Facundo Diaz Acosta (ARG) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1)
Jack Draper (GBR) bt Radu Albot (MDA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
Hubert Hurkacz (POL x17) bt Marc-Andrea Huesler (SUI) 4-6, 5-7, 7-6 (7/0), 6-3, 6-1
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) bt Ugo Humbert (FRA x29) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Taro Daniel (JPN) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4)
Andrey Rublev (RUS x8) bt Arthur Cazaux (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Women’s singles first round
Wang Yafan (CHN) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA x7) 6-4, 6-1
Katie Boulter (GBR) bt Diane Parry (FRA) 6-4, 6-0
Peyton Stearns (USA) bt Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) 6-3, 6-4
Clara Tauson (DEN) bt Anastasia Potapova (RUS x27) 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-3
Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS x22) bt Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-4
Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt Elsa Jacquemot (FRA) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
Martina Trevisan (ITA) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 0-6, 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (10/8)
Marketa Vondrousova (CZE x9) bt Na-Lae Han (KOR) 6-3, 6-0
Liudmila Samsonova (RUS x14) bt Claire Liu (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3
Tamara Korpatsch (GER) bt Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 6-3, 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 6-4, 6-4
Madison Keys (USA x17) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 6-2, 6-4
Elina Svitolina (UKR x26) bt Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) 6-3, 6-1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) bt Fiona Crawley (USA) 6-2, 6-4
Patricia Maria Tig (ROU) bt Rebecca Marino (CAN) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/1)
Jessica Pegula (USA x3) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-2, 6-2
Ons Jabeur (TUN x5) bt Camila Osorio (COL) 7-5, 7-6 (7/4)
Linda Noskova (CZE) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-2, 6-1
Petra Martic (CRO) bt Tatjana Maria (GER) 6-2, 6-1
Marie Bouzkova (CZE x31) bt Ashlyn Krueger (USA) 7-5, 6-4
Zheng Qinwen (CHN x23) bt Nadia Podoroska (ARG) 6-1, 6-0
Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Barbora Strycova (CZE) 6-4, 6-4
Eva Lys (GER) bt Robin Montgomery (USA) 6-2, 6-1
Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) bt Barbora Krejcikova (CZE x12) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
Daria Kasatkina (RUS x13) bt Alycia Parks (USA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Ana Bogdan (ROU) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
Greet Minnen (BEL) bt Venus Williams (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Sachia Vickery (USA) bt Donna Vekic (CRO x21) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x25) bt Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) 6-1, 6-4
Clara Burel (FRA) bt Caroline Dolehide (USA) 6-4, 6-3
Jodie Burrage (GBR) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 6-3, 6-4
Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x2) bt Maryna Zanevska (BEL) 6-3, 6-2