Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner both overcame mini-scares on Day 2 of the US Open, with each player dropping a set before safely advancing to the second round.
World No. 1 Sinner and reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz, who are due to meet in the semi-finals, looked somewhat unconvincing on Tuesday, with Sinner losing 6-2 in the first set against American Mackenzie McDonald and Alcaraz dropping the second set against Australian qualifier Li Tu.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur battled past Marcos Giron in four sets after a marathon fourth set, while fifth seed Daniil Medvedev overcame Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic in four sets.
Britain’s Dan Evans overcame 23 seed Karen Khachanov in five thrilling sets in a match that lasted five hours and 35 minutes, making it the longest match in US Open history. Evans was 4-0 down in the deciding set but reeled off six games in a row to seal a sensational win and book his place in the second round.
Meanwhile, No. 11 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out after a four-set defeat against Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis, while 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka went down in straight sets against Italy’s Mattia Bellucci.
Tommy Paul closed out proceedings on Day Two with a four-set victory over Lorenzo Sonego on Louis Armstrong.
In the women’s draw, meanwhile, World Number 1 Iga Swiatek safely navigated her first-round match against lucky loser Kamila Rakhimova, prevailing in straight sets following a second-set tiebreak, while World Number 4 Elena Rybakina also progressed in straight sets thanks to a second-set tiebreak win against Destanee Aíava.
It was a mixed day for former champions, with two-time champion Naomi Osaka ousting 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets but 2021 champion Emma Raducanu losing in three sets against America’s Sonya Kenin. Biance Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, also went down in a three-set thriller against World Number 5 Jasmine Paolini on Louis Armstrong.
In the main event of the evening on Arthur Ashe, World No. 6 Jessica Pegula faced off against Shelby Rogers in an all-American affair, with Pegula claiming a relatively comfortable straight sets victory.
In another all-American affair, World No. 11 Danielle Collins fell to defeat against Caroline Dolehide in what was the final grand slam match of her career. Collins convincingly took the first set 6-1 before losing 5-7. 4-6 in the remaining two sets to crash out of the US Open.
Wednesday will see reigning champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff return to action under the lights on Arthur Ashe, with Djokovic facing off against compatriot Laslo Djere and Gauff taking on Germany’s Tatjana Maria.
Elsewhere, men’s World No. 4 Alexander Zverev takes on Alexandre Muller, while America’s Ben Shelton takes on Roberto Bautista Agut.
There is plenty more American interest on Day 3 Wednesday, with Taylor Fritz taking on Matteo Berrettini and Frances Tiafoe taking on Alexander Shevchenko. Brandon Nakashima also takes on Arthur Cazaux, while Mithcell Krueger faces off against Liri Lehecka.
In the women’s draw, tournament favorite Aryna Sabalenka faces Lucia Bronzetti, while Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova takes on Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Again, there are plenty of Americans to keep an eye on, including 16-year-old prodigy Iva Jovic, who takes on 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Madison Keys faces off against Australia’s Maya Joint, while 13 seed Emma Navarro takes on Arantxa Rus. Peyton Stearns faces a difficult match-up against World Number 12 Daria Kasatkina, while Taylor Townsend faces off against Spain’s Paula Badosa.
