Coco Gauff powered into the second round of the US Open on Monday, launching her title defence with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva as defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic prepared to start his repeat bid under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Gauff, seeded third, fired 10 aces and needed just 66 minutes to beat 66th-ranked Gracheva. She saved eight break points — including two with aces in the final game. “It is definitely a lot of pressure this tournament but I’m just enjoying it,” said Gauff, who is seeded third behind world number one Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.

“Last year was incredible, so I’m just bringing those vibes and whatever happens, happens.”

Gauff has battled through an erratic season since capturing her maiden major last year and her tune-up tournaments saw her fall in the third round at Toronto before she crashed out of her first match as the defending champion in Cincinnati.

“The last few weeks have been a little bit tough,” Gauff said. “But today was I think the best tennis I’ve played in a while.”

Four-time champion Djokovic, seeded second behind world number one Jannik Sinner, is vying to become the first man to repeat in New York since Roger Federer won five straight US Opens from 2004-2008.

“Hopefully that changes this year,” said Djokovic, who highlighted an otherwise disappointing season with an emotional gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

That victory satisfied a years’ long quest for Djokovic, who has been hindered by a knee injury in 2024. 

With Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz snapping at his heels, Djokovic is facing the prospect of a year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.

The 37-year-old, whose 24 Grand Slam titles are tied with Aussie legend Margaret Court for most all-time, says he still gets pumped up for the “pillars of our sport.”

And that’s especially true of the US Open, where he’ll anchor the night session taking on Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot.

“I can’t wait to be under the lights,” Djokovic said. “The noise, the energy of the stadium is just different from anything else.”

American Ben Shelton got the ball rolling on Ashe with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory over 2020 champion Dominic Thiem.

Shelton’s triumph marked an end to Thiem’s Grand Slam career, the Austrian having announced he would retire at the end of 2024 after several injury-plagued seasons.

“I just want to say thanks for all the support,” Thiem told fans. “It’s been 10 years since I first played here, I had my greatest success on this court.”

Krejcikova advances

Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany needed four sets to get past lucky loser Maximilian Marter 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-2.

Sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev beat Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 and eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway advanced with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2 win over China’s Bu Yunchaokete.

Ruud next faces French veteran Gael Monfils, who beat Diego Schwartzman 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the Argentinian’s final Grand Slam appearance as he heads into retirement.

Wimbledon women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded eighth, eased into the second round with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Marina Bassols Ribera.

Olympic women’s singles gold medallist Zheng Qinwen of China, seeded seventh, rallied from a set down to beat Amanda Anisimova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“Every ball (from Anisimova) went inside in the beginning and I couldn’t do anything,” said Zheng.

“Little by little I started to get into the rhythm,” added Zheng, who finished runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open, and could face the second seed from Belarus in the quarter-finals.

Sabalenka closed out the night session on Louis Armstrong Stadium against Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon.

Coco Gauff is embracing the pressure and privilege of defending her US Open title — with the help of elite Olympians and at least one encouraging TikTok commentator. “Obviously coming in as defending champion is a little bit of pressure, but also more of a privilege, because as my new motto is: If you defend, that means you won something before,” Gauff said Friday at Flushing Meadows, where the final Grand Slam of the season starts on Monday. Gauff, ranked third in world, has endured a difficult follow-up season after bagging her first major title here last year.

A semi-finalist at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, she was bounced in the fourth round at Wimbledon and endured Olympic disappointment in Paris.

She fell in the third round at Toronto, and crashed out of the first match of her Cincinnati title defense.

But Gauff, with just one title in 2024, said she’d been inspired by athletes she met at the Olympics, including America’s 200m gold medallist Gabby Thomas.

She said meeting elite athletes from other sports made her realize that “what you’re feeling isn’t so isolated”.

“The nerves, you realize nerves are normal, the pressures are all normal. It doesn’t make them easier but I think it helps you know you’re not carrying the weight alone.

“I think I just learned that everything I feel, other athletes are feeling it in their sports, and they’re obviously undisputed best at what they’ve done, especially this past Olympics.”

It’s a buoying message in a frustrating season, as was a comment on her TikTok.

“It said, ‘you’ve won literally and figuratively. Why stress yourself out over a victory lap?’ I was, like, that’s actually a good perspective. No one can take that from me so why stress myself over something that I already have.

“I’m just wanting to add to that, whether it happens here in two weeks or next year here or at Australia or whatever, there’s no point.

“So I think I saw that comment, like, three days ago, and I was, like, ‘OK, I’m going to stick by that and use that’, because it really changed my perspective coming into this.”

It’s a nice change from the social media “doubters,” who Gauff says she still uses as motivation.

Despite her higher profile, the 20-year-old said her life hadn’t changed that much since her maiden Grand Slam title last year.

It was a moment she’d been preparing for since she broke through for her first WTA title at the age of 15.

“I think all that time prepped me to better prepare for this moment so I wasn’t such a deer in headlights and everything wasn’t so crazy,” she said.

“So I think now, coming in, I’m going to enjoy it.”

Gauff will start her title defence against France’s Varvara Gracheva in the first round.

Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff will headline the US Open competition, the final Grand Slam competition of the year, starting from August 26, with Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, the number one duo being the top seeds across men’s and women’s categories. The competition will be taking place till September 8. Both Gauff and Djokovic are arriving in the US for this competition with two different trajectories. Gauff has struggled as of late, holding an unremarkable record of 3-4 in her last seven matches. She could not impress a lot in the Paris Olympics as well, exiting the competition in third round, succumbing to the silver medalist Donna Vekic, as per Olympics.com.

The 20-year-old was on a roll last year this point, winning titles in Washington and Cincinnati before landing a huge victory in the US Open. It would be interesting to see how Gauff bounces back from recent setbacks in home conditions. She will be opening her campaign against France’s Varvara Gracheva, with a potential third-round clash against Elina Svitolina on the cards as well.

On the other hand, Djokovic will be chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam title after securing the landmark Paris Olympic gold medal with a win over Carlos Alcaraz, avenging his loss to him Wimbledon finals just before the summer sporting extravaganza.

Sinner had tested positive for a prohibited substance, clostebol in March, but as per an independent tribunal, he bore “no fault or negligence”. The Italian landed his first major title this year, with a triumph at Australian Open in January. He has momentum by his side as he secured the Cincinnati Open title this week and will be playing America’s Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.

In the men’s draw, Sinner and Djokovic are at the opposite sides, while the world number three and current Wimbledon champion, Olympic silver medalist Alcaraz is in the top half with Sinner. Number four seed Alexander Zverev joins Djokovic at the bottom of the draw.

Swiatek has 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in her half of the draw, while Gauff has second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Cincinnati Open title as well.

The Italian, who won his first major at the Australian Open in January and captured the Cincinnati Masters earlier this week (19 August), will face American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.

The Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen is the seventh seed, with Sabalenka a seeded quarterfinal opponent. If this match takes place, it will mark a rematch of the Australian Open final from this January, where Sabalenka emerged victorious.

US Open tennis: Schedule of play

Matches get underway daily at 1100 local New York time (EDT, GMT -4), with an evening session inside both Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums at 1900.

Monday & Tuesday, 26 & 27 August – Men’s & women’s singles first round

Wednesday & Thursday, 28 & 29 August – Singles second round; doubles underway

Friday & Saturday, 30 & 31 August – Singles third round

Sunday & Monday, 1 & 2 September – Singles fourth round

Tuesday & Wednesday, 3 & 4 September – Singles quarter-finals

Thursday, 5 September

1500 – Women’s (or mixed) doubles final

1900 – Women’s semi-finals

Friday, 6 September

1200 – Mixed (or women’s) doubles final

1500 – Men’s semi-final (one of two)

1900 – Men’s semi-final (two of two)

Saturday, 7 September

1200 – Men’s doubles final

1600 – Women’s singles final

Sunday, 8 September

1400 – Men’s singles final.

World number two Coco Gauff was sent crashing out of Wimbledon by American compatriot Emma Navarro on Sunday as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were firmly locked on an All England Club semi-final collision course. Gauff’s 6-4, 6-3 fourth round defeat means that only two of the top 10 women’s seeds are left in the tournament. Elsewhere, unheralded Lulu Sun became the first New Zealand woman to reach the last-eight at Wimbledon, while Madison Keys quit her last-16 clash in floods of tears. Navarro, ranked 19th, reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time with her defeat of US Open champion Gauff.

Gauff, who made the semi-finals at the Australian Open and French Open this year, has still to get past the last 16 at Wimbledon, the tournament, where she made her breakthrough as a 15-year-old in 2019.

Her shock defeat followed the unexpected exit of world number one Iga Swiatek in the third round on Saturday.

“I think I played really aggressively. Coco’s an amazing player and I have a ton of respect for her,” said Navarro.

Only fourth-ranked 2022 champion Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, the world number seven, remain from the top 10 women.

Paolini will be Navarro’s quarter-final opponent.

World number three Alcaraz defeated French 16th seed Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to make the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the ninth time in just 14 appearances.

However, it was another uncomfortable afternoon for the Spaniard, who had needed five sets to see off Frances Tiafoe in the third round.

His erratic performance on Sunday saw him drop serve five times and commit an uncharacteristic 33 unforced errors.

The 21-year-old, bidding to become just the sixth man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back, eased through the first set under the Centre Court roof before crucially saving four break points in the fifth game of the second.

Humbert roared back, breaking the champion three times in the third set as Alcaraz went spectacularly off the boil.

But Humbert handed over a service break in the 11th game of the fourth set and Alcaraz took full advantage to quickly seal the tie.

‘Fight to last ball’

“I will be there, fighting until the last ball,” said Alcaraz, who is chasing a fourth Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz will take on American 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.

Over on Court One, top seed Sinner moved into the last-eight with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (11/9) win over American 14th seed Ben Shelton.

Sinner, who won his maiden Slam crown at the Australian Open this year, will face Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in the semi-finals in a rematch of their final in Melbourne.

“It was a tough match, especially the third set. I had to keep saving set points,” said Sinner, a semi-finalist in 2023.

Medvedev, also a semi-finalist last year, progressed when 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov retired in the first set of their last-16 tie with a knee injury.

Sun made history for New Zealand with a three-set victory over Emma Raducanu, shattering home hopes of ending a 47-year wait for a British women’s champion.

The 23-year-old qualifier, ranked at 123, triumphed 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 over the 2021 US Open winner.

Sun hit 52 winners against Raducanu, who took a medical time-out in the third set to treat problems with her ankle and back.

“It was a great match against Emma. I really dug deep to get the win,” said Sun.

Sun will next face Croatia’s Donna Vekic, the world number 37, who clinched a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Spain’s Paula Badosa on the back of 33 winners.

‘It’s sad’

American 12th seed Keys was just one game away from a third quarter-final at the All England Club before she was forced to quit against Paolini.

After dropping the first set, Keys hit back to level the match at 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).

The 2017 US Open runner-up then raced into a 5-2 lead in the decider when she suffered a left leg injury in the eighth game.

At 5-4, she took a medical time-out, returned with her left leg bandaged but with her movement severely restricted, she wept openly on court before quitting at 5-5.

“I’m very sorry for her, it’s sad,” said French Open runner-up Paolini, who had never won a grass-court match until two weeks ago.

Reigning champion Iga Swiatek celebrated her 23rd birthday by brushing aside Marie Bouzkova to reach the French Open last 16 on Friday. Swiatek had to save a match point to avoid an upset defeat by fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in a second-round thriller, but she was never in trouble during a 6-4, 6-2 win over Czech Bouzkova. The world number one is a red-hot favourite to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for a third straight year and become only the fourth woman to win four Roland Garros titles in the Open era.

She was much closer to her best form on Friday, hitting 34 winners and making only 19 unforced errors.

Swiatek will play Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the next round on Sunday.

The Polish star’s win-loss record at the tournament stands at 32-2 and she has never failed to reach the second week.

Earlier on Friday, Jannik Sinner continued his serene progress at the French Open with a straight-sets victory over Russian Pavel Kotov in the third round.

The Australian Open champion, who will usurp Novak Djokovic as world number one if he reaches the final at Roland Garros, struck 36 winners and saved the only break point he faced in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win.

Sinner will next take on either home hope Corentin Moutet or Austrian Sebastian Ofner for a place in the quarter-finals.

The Italian, who has only lost two matches so far this year, is yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Coco Gauff also eased into the second week for a fourth straight year. Gauff held off a late fightback from Australian Open semi-finalist Dayana Yastremska to win 6-2, 6-4 in the first match of the day on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The reigning US Open champion has an excellent record at Roland Garros, having previously reached two quarter-finals and the 2022 final which she lost to Swiatek.

The 20-year-old failed to serve out the match when leading 5-2 in the second set, but saved three break points in the 10th game before getting over the line.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek saved a match point to outlast Naomi Osaka.© AFP