World number one Aryna Sabalenka began her bid for a rare third consecutive US Open title with a convincing victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio on Monday, while Frenchman Arthur Fils suffered a surprise first-round defeat.
Sabalenka overcame Osorio 6-2, 6-4 in her opening match at Flushing Meadows, producing a strong performance after a difficult run of form in recent months.
“I feel like this is one of my favourite stadiums,” Sabalenka said after her victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she has won two of her four Grand Slam titles.
The Belarusian has not won a tournament since claiming the Miami Open title in March and was eliminated by Naomi Osaka in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
However, she looked in control for most of the match against Osorio, using her powerful groundstrokes to overcome the Colombian’s defensive game.
In the men’s draw, recent Cincinnati Masters champion Arthur Fils suffered an early exit after losing to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Fils, 22, entered the tournament with high expectations after becoming the first French player in more than a decade to win a Masters 1000 title earlier this month.
Despite having won all five of his previous meetings with Tsitsipas, the world number 11 lost 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 6-4.
“I am speechless, I don’t know what to say,” said Tsitsipas, a former top-five player who has dropped to 53rd in the world rankings.
“It’s an amazing start to the tournament.”
The US Open had already produced a major shock on Sunday when Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit in 20 years, losing in five sets to Mariano Navone.
The 39-year-old Serbian struggled physically during the match and was reduced to tears as the crowd attempted to rally behind him, raising questions about his future at Grand Slam level.
Djokovic’s departure has further opened up the men’s draw, with Jannik Sinner absent because of a knee injury and Carlos Alcaraz only recently returning from a four-month injury lay-off.
Alcaraz began his campaign on Monday against Russia’s Roman Safiullin, winning the opening two sets 6-4, 6-4.
Second-seeded German Alexander Zverev is scheduled to begin his tournament against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday.
Other notable matches include veteran wild card Stan Wawrinka, who could be making his final Grand Slam appearance, while American hopes Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are also in action.
Naomi Osaka is due to face Anastasia Zakharova in the Arthur Ashe Stadium night session, while Iga Swiatek takes on China’s Wang Xiyu.
Earlier on Monday, Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova defeated Sinja Kraus 6-3, 6-0, while Qinwen Zheng recovered from a set down to beat Kristina Liutova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
