By Coco Gauff made a strong start to her US Open title defense, easily advancing to the second round. Meanwhile, Britain’s Harriet Dart celebrated a commanding victory, but Jan Choinski suffered a heartbreaking loss in a marathon match.
Gauff, the tournament’s third seed, showed no signs of her recent struggles, defeating France’s Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-0. Reflecting on her performance, Gauff acknowledged the pressure but emphasized her joy in playing at Arthur Ashe Stadium again. She will face Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the next round.
Britain’s Harriet Dart also impressed, breezing past Chloe Paquet of France with a 6-1, 6-2 win, setting up a challenging second-round match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
In contrast, Jan Choinski faced a tough battle, ultimately losing to Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena after a five-set thriller. Despite rallying from two sets down, Choinski couldn’t overcome his opponent, who won 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.
Elsewhere, Dominic Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion, announced his retirement after being overpowered by Ben Shelton. The tournament saw mixed results for other top players, with Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, and Matteo Berrettini advancing, while Alexander Bublik suffered an upset loss to China’s Shang Juncheng. On the women’s side, Maria Sakkari retired due to injury, while Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, Elina Svitolina, and Paula Badosa all secured victories.
