New York | Defending champ Coco leads the charge on Day 1 

The US Open kicked off in a sweltering New York on Monday, and saw Coco Gauff successfully launch her campaign to defend her title, leading the charge of the lower half of the draw into the 2nd-round.

She [Amanda Anisimova] was hitting the ball really good today, everything was going to the side and in at the beginning. I couldn’t do anything. The further the match goes, I started to find my rhythm on the hard court. In the second set I really believed in my shots. I started to be more consistent and found more percentage in my serve. Little by little I got into it, I want to say a really good job from Amanda. Zheng Qinwen

Competing in Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she walked away with her maiden Grand Slam title last year, the 20-year old American dispatched Russian-born Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva with some ease, 6-2 6-0.

While the No 3 seed had played Gracheva just once before, on her way to winning the Auckland Open in January, Gauff has not won another title since, but she looked every inch the champion in front of an adoring American crowd.

Gracheva, ranked No 66 in the world and 24-years old, played it cool, winning her first service game to love and earning the contest’s first of 3 break-point chances, none of which she converted.

It was Gauff who broke first, an advantage that appeared to settle her nerves, and although her error tally continued to outstrip her winner count, she stayed aggressive despite being forced to save break points in nearly every game.

Gauff took the first set and as a rattled Gracheva started donating errors, the American made quick work of the second set, bagelling it in the process.

“I’m just bringing those vibes this year,” Gauff said in her on-court interview about winning last year. “These are the moments you live for. This is the best tennis I’ve played in a while.”

Next, Gauff will face Germany’s Tatjana Maria, a veteran ranked No 99 in the world, while the highest-seeded player in her quarter of the draw is Czech Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded 8, and a potential quarter-final opponent.

Maria dominated her 1st-round match against Solana Sierra, 6-2 6-3, particularly with her impressive first serve, with which she won a remarkable 85%, while the Argentine qualifier struggled with her delivery and only managed to win 50% of points behind it, as well as producing 5 double-faults.

The German’s ability to win 50% of her second-serve points also gave her an edge over Sierra, who managed to win only 43% of hers.

Also in Gauff’s quarter, the roadblock posed by 9th-seeded Maria Sakkari disappeared when the Greek retired in her opener against Wang Yafan from China, ranked 80.

Sakkari had not played since the Olympics due to a shoulder issue that forced her out of Cincinnati last week, and she took a medical time-out shortly before retiring, after Wang had raced through the first set, 6-2.

While Wang Yafan, 1 of 8 Chinese in the starting field, was the underdog coming into this match, she had upset Caroline Garcia in 2023, and now she will play another Frenchwoman, Diane Parry, who defeated Wang Xiyu, 7-6(2) 7-6(5).

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On Louis Armstrong Stadium, Zheng Qinwen, the World No 7 from China, rallied past America’s Amanda Anisimova, 4-6 6-4 6-2, in a match between two of the most in-form players on tour in recent months.

The Olympic Gold medallist and Australian Open finalist escaped from 3 break points in her opening service game, but the home favourite found more and more success striking cleanly, with plenty of conviction and well within the baseline, alongside canny forays to the net, to race out to 5-1 up.

Three set points came and went, and Zheng capitalised on some loose strokes to get to 4-5, but, undeterred, Anisimova pounced at 30-30 with relentless hitting, arrowing a forehand winner to cap an absorbing opening set.

“She was hitting the ball really good today, everything was going to the side and in at the beginning. I couldn’t do anything,” Zheng said post-match.

Zheng, though, turned things around in the second, using her skills to eventually bamboozle 22-year-old Anisimova.

“The further the match goes, I started to find my rhythm on the hard court. In the second set I really believed in my shots,” Zheng continued. “I started to be more consistent and found more percentage in my serve. Little by little I got into it, I want to say a really good job from Amanda.”

The next step will be a 2nd-round clash with World No 75 Erika Andreeva, who edged Zheng’s compatriot Yuan Yue, 6-3 7-6(7), earlier on Monday.

Andreeva, Mirra’s older sister, cruised past the World No 37 from China, setting the tone with a strong start that carried her to a significant win for the Russian, who has struggled with consistency this year, winning only 36% of her matches on tour.

12th seed Daria Kasatkina eased past Jaqueline Cristian into round 2 at the US Open on Day 1 in New York

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Meanwhile, another Russian, Daria Kasatkina, the 13th seed, eased past Jaqueline Cristian, 6-2 6-4, converting 63% of her break points, which proved to be the deciding factor, surpassing the Romanian’s 50% rate.

Despite Cristian winning 64% of points on her first serve, it wasn’t enough to overcome Kasatkina’s overall solid performance, as she also coughed up 6 double-faults in the match, and the Russian only made 17 unforced errors, compared to the Romanian’s 31,

Kasatkina moves on to meet American Peyton Stearns, who defeated Lesia Tsurenko, 6-1 7-5, one of 4 Ukrainians in action on Monday.

Stearns’ exceptional serving proved key, firing 8 aces and winning 71% of points on her first serve, while her break point conversion rate was also a significant contributor to her win, as she converted 50% of her break point chances, compared to Tsurenko’s 33%.

Ukraine’s No 1, Marta Kostyuk dominated in-form McCartney Kessler, an American wild-card, and the in-form Cleveland champion, 6-2 6-3.

Kostyuk’s impressive first serve, winning 87% of points on it, was higher than Kessler’s 61%, while her all around game ultimately led to her win over over Kessler.

She advances to play Britain’s Harriet Dart in Round 2, who easily dispatched 30-year old French wild-card Chloe Paquet, 6-1 6-2.

Elina Svitolina, the 27th seed, overcame a strong challenge from Maria Lourdes Carle from Argentina, 3-6 6-3 6-4, her aggressive play eventually paying dividends as she dominated at the net, winning 20 points to Carle’s 9 there.

The Argentine struggled with her serve, committing 9 double-faults, despite winning 62% of points on her first serve, and she was unable to overcome Svitolina’s relentless pressure and precision on return.

In the end, Svitolina’s well-rounded game proved too much for Carle after a gruelling 2-hour 20-minute encounter, and the Ukrainian advances to meet her compatriot Anhelina Kalinina, who also needed 3 sets to get past Oceane Dodin from France, 3-6 6-1 6-1.

Former US Open finalist Madison Keys won a scrappy match against Katerina Siniakova in straight sets

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Elsewhere, former US Open finalist Madison Keys beat Czech Katerina Siniakova, 6-4 6-1, in a scrappy match, landing 75% of her first serves and winning 69% of points behind it.

Siniakova recorded 52%, and struggled with 11 double-faults, while Keys converted 5 break points to the Czech’s 1.

“I knew just to try to weather the storm, and just focus on my side of the court,” said an ecstatic Keys on court after the match, barely able to contain her smile. “It’s definitely the loudest, rowdiest crowd you can play in front of. I always love coming back to New York. Being an American playing in front of an American crowd, there’s really no feeling like that.”

29-year old Keys has endured a few months of set-backs, and the American played with a heavily taped left thigh, injured during her Wimbledon 4th-round match against Jasmine Paolini which she tearfully retired from back in July.

After sustaining the hamstring injury, she passed up the Paris Olympics, and retired in her first match at the National Bank Open in Toronto earlier this month, her first tournament back.

Keys is on a collision course with World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster 4th-round showdown, if both can make it through the draw.

Sabalenka put a heart-breaking end to Keys’ US Open bid last year, knocking her out 6-0 6-7(1) 6-7(5) in the semis.

To reach that point, Keys will have to clear 18 year-old Australian qualifier Maya Joint next, and weather a 3rd round match-up that could include former quarter-finalists in Belgian Elise Mertens and Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.

Mertens battled past Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova, a former Top 10 player who is now ranked 46, bouncing back to win, 3-6 6-4 6-3, in 2 hours and 27 minutes.

Joint, ranked 135, faced off against World No 94 Laura Siegemund from Germany, and won, 6-4 7-5, her strong serving proving decisive as she committed zero double faults, and secured 67% of her first serves in.

Fellow Aussie Tomljanovic also advanced in straight sets against American qualifier Ann Li, 6-4 6-4.

Elsewhere, Olympic Silver medallist Donna Vekic from Croatia rolled into Round 2 with a 6-4 6-4 win over another Australian, Kimberly Birrell, continuing her strong form that has seen her emerge victorious in 62% of her matches.

The No  24 seed dominated with big serving, prowess at the net, and her ability to capitalise on break point opportunities when it mattered, converting 67% of her chances, while her impressive 100% success rate on her net approaches earned her 27 winners, compared to Birrell’s 16.

16-year old Iva Jovic is the youngest player in the women’s singles draw at the US Open, and she made history on Day 1 beating Poland’s Magda Linette

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16-year old Iva Jovic is the youngest player in the women’s singles draw at the US Open, and she made history on Day 1 with the biggest win of her career so far, beating Poland’s Magda Linette, 6-4 6-3, who is ranked 42 in the world.

The American World No 389, who secured her spot by winning the USTA’s U18 National Championships, is now set to pocket a cool $140,000 (£106,150) following her advance to the 2nd-round, where she will meet Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 29th seed, who defeated Tomova Viktoriya of Bulgaria, 6-7(4) 6-0 7-5.

Fresh from her upset win, Jovic pinpointed her agility and pressure play as key assets while aiming to enhance her ability to dominate opponents quickly during rallies.

“I mean, I think, just from the ground, I move well, and apply good pressure,” said Jovic, who is product of the Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates, where she works with coach Peter Smith. “I’d like to improve the first strike elements, to be able to punch through opponents really quickly in points, because a lot of players are able to burn you right away if you’re not urgent enough. So just work on sharpening those things up.”