First-round action finally comes to a close on Tuesday in New York, as the three-day first-round concludes with a bevy of big names in action.
Here’s what we’ll be watching…
Sinner Begins Title Defense
The winner of each of the last two hard court majors has the No.1 ranking on the line in New York. Jannik Sinner must outperform at the US Open to remain at the top of the ATP rankings, and the high-flying Italian takes the court against Vit Kopriva on Tuesday on Arthur Ashe.
89th-ranked Kopriva has 14 career wins to his name, while Sinner rides a 21-match hardcourt winning streak at the majors. Should be a lot of one-way traffic in this one.
tennis express pro player gearOsaka at Night
Is Naomi Osaka going to continue the fine form she produced in Montreal at her favorite major? It wouldn’t be all that surprising. The four-time major champion is now linked up with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, and she seems to be extremely happy about it. She even called him a walking tennis encyclopia in her pre-match press conference. Reaching the final in Montreal, her first at a WTA 1000 since Miami in 2022, was a big step, but she’ll need some follow through to prove that she can produce elite tennis on a consistent basis.
23rd-seeded Osaka will face Greet Minnen of Belgium in the night session on Louis Armstrong.
Gauff Faces Tough Test
Coco Gauff will face Ajla Tomljanovic in the Arthur Ashe night session. The 2023 champion won their only previous meeting with ease at the 2024 Olympics, dropping just three games, but the Aussie is better on the hard courts, and she has enough power to make things interesting if Gauff plays too passively.
Gauff will play for the first time since hiring biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan, so all eyes will be on her serve, looking to see if the No.3 seed is relaxed or having difficulty processing all the information she has been getting from the Canadian coach who has been tasked with shoring up her serve.