By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won his first singles match in 139 days, while Aryna Sabalenka got her quest for a third successive U.S. Open title off to a winning start on Monday on the second day of the year’s final major.
One of the tournament’s biggest question marks, Alcaraz enjoyed a comfortable return to action with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over Russian Roman Safiullin, quieting concerns – for now – over an injury to his right wrist that had sidelined him since April.
The win ensured some star power remained in the men’s field after Novak Djokovic’s shock defeat on Sunday left another major hole in the men’s draw that is without the injured world number one Jannik Sinner.
Earlier at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sabalenka looked well on her way to ending a frustrating patch of poor form with an easy 6-2 6-4 win over Colombia’s Camila Osorio, with 32 winners to set up a meeting with Russian Polina Iatcenko in the second round.
“I’m happy with my performance. She’s a tough opponent, makes you work really hard to get every point,” said the top-ranked Sabalenka, who has not reached a final since completing the Sunshine Double in March.
American Amanda Anisimova, whom Sabalenka defeated in the final last year, got her campaign off to a smooth start at Louis Armstrong Stadium with a 6-1 6-3 defeat of compatriot Ashlyn Krueger.
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas stunned the Cincinnati winner and 10th seed Arthur Fils 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1 6-4 in the early match on Armstrong, setting up a second-round meeting with South African Lloyd Harris in a tournament where he has frequently struggled.
“It’s very easy to not feel confident, especially when you haven’t beaten top players in a long time,” he told reporters. “I’m very ecstatic about today. It’s an important, good victory for me, for my confidence.”
SHELTON, OSAKA HIGHLIGHT NIGHT SESSION
Seven matches were suspended on the outer courts on Sunday night due to rain and resumed on Monday, with organisers benefiting from the extended three-day first-round schedule after expanding the main draw to 15 days in 2025.
The Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova got the day underway on the Grandstand with a routine 6-3 6-0 win over Austrian Sinja Kraus. The Czech seventh seed plays Briton Katie Boulter in the second round.
It was a good day for the Americans on the largest of the outdoor courts, as Emma Navarro ground out a 7-6(6) 6-7(1) 6-3 win over Frenchwoman Lois Boisson, while Taylor Townsend defeated Poland’s Maja Chwalinska 6-2 6-3.
The Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who was forced to go through qualifying only two years after reaching the quarter-finals in New York, beat Kristina Liutova 4-6 6-3 6-1 on the outer courts.
Zheng, whose progress has stalled and ranking has plummeted since an elbow injury forced her to undergo surgery last summer, will play the winner of a match on Tuesday between Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva and Switzerland’s 2021 Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic.
In the night session, home hope Ben Shelton takes on the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor on Ashe, followed by a match between twice champion Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova.
On Armstrong, Poland’s 2022 champion Iga Swiatek takes on China’s Wang Xiyu, followed by an all-American clash between Frances Tiafoe and Martin Damm.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Toby Davis)
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