Medvedev knocked out by Bonzi; Sabalenka, Djokovic advance into second round

New York: Aryna Sabalenka launched the defence of her US Open crown with victory while Novak Djokovic also made a flying start to reach the second round of the Grand Slam event on Sunday.

Sabalenka prevailed 7-5, 6-1 over Switzerland's Rebeka Masarova in the opening round, though not without early struggles. Sabalenka surrendered a break in the first set to trail 3-2 before rallying to take the opener. She then dominated the second set, dropping only one game to seal the win.

"Happy to get this win and happy to be in the second round. I feel like I didn't start my best in the first games, but then I found my rhythm," said Sabalenka, who will face unseeded Russian Polina Kudermetova in the second round.

Djokovic eased past unseeded 19-year-old American Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2, earning his 75th consecutive first-round victory at a Grand Slam tournament.

The 38-year-old has not lost an opening match at a major since the 2006 Australian Open.

"There are positives but also things that hopefully won't happen in terms of how I felt on the court physically in the second set. It's slightly a concern. I don't know. I don't have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points," said the No.7-seeded Djokovic.

Elsewhere, 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia was upset by France's Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 in a match lasting three hours 45 minutes.

The No. 13 seed was one point from elimination in the third set, then rallied to force a decider before Bonzi closed out the win, eliminating him from a second straight major. Medvedev, who also lost to Bonzi in the first round at Wimbledon, finished 1-4 in Grand Slam events this year.

All four Chinese players in action on the opening day fell in the women's singles first round.

Qualifier Wang Xiyu lost to 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-4, 6-3. Wang Yafan was unable to convert three set points against 10th seed Emma Navarro of the United States, falling 7-6 (9), 6-3. Another qualifier, Zhang Shuai, was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by 16th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.

In a hard-fought three-setter, Zhu Lin pushed Russia's Anastasia Potapova to a decider before losing 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Fourth seed Jessica Pegula advanced into the second round with a straight-sets win over Egypt’s Mayar Sherif.

Playing the night session match on Ashe Stadium, Pegula got off to a blistering start to win the first set 6-0. In the second set, Sherif found her rhythm and broke the American to take a 4-1 lead. However, Pegula regained her focus and her form to win five games in a row and complete the 6-0, 6-4 win in one hour and 15 minutes.

She will next meet Anna Blinkova, who defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-3, 6-1 in another first-round clash.

Meanwhile, No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini dismissed qualifier Destanee Aiava 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach the second round for the third time in six main draw appearances.

After winning the first set 6-2, Paolini had to work a lot harder to overcome the spirited Australian in the second set as both players held their service games to take the set into a tiebreak.

The two-time Grand Slam runner-up’s experience pulled her through for a 6-2, 7-6 (4) win to set up a second round showdown against the experienced 31-year-old Aliaksandra Sasnovich or rising teen Iva Jovic, WTA reports.

In another match, Victoria, making her 18th career appearance in New York, put her grit on display on Court 12 and worked her way past American qualifier Hina Inoue, 7-6(0), 6-4.

Playing her first match since Wimbledon, Azarenka battled through fatigue and a pesky main draw debutante to book her 49th career US Open win.

Azarenka finished the two hour and four-minute contest with 35 winners to 14 for Inoue, and she won 36 of 54 points that lasted four strokes or more.

Emma Raducanu marked her return to the US Open winners’ circle with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 first-round victory over Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara — her first win at the venue since her stunning 2021 title run.

Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton kept American hopes flying high at the U.S. Open.

The extra crop of local ticketholders was treated to compelling wins from 2024 finalist Fritz, who beat compatriot Emilio Nava 7-5, 6-2, 6-3, and 2023 semifinalist Shelton, who downed Peru’s qualifier Ignacio Buse 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Agencies

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