US Open Tennis 2023 Results: Instant Reactions to Winners and Losers from Monday
The top American men's singles players started their home Grand Slam in tremendous fashion on Monday.
Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, both of whom are top 10 seeds, produced straight-set wins in the first round of the 2023 US Open.
The Nos. 9 and 10 seeds received a gift on Monday afternoon as well, as No. 4 seed Holger Rune was knocked out in four sets by Roberto Carballes Baena.
Rune was the highest-ranked player to lose on Monday, and his defeat created an opening in the bottom half of the men's draw, which is seen as the weaker of the two halves.
Novak Djokovic, who plays on Monday night in New York, headlines that bracket and he is joined by Dominic Thiem as previous US Open winners in that portion of the draw. Thiem ended a two-and-a-half-year winning drought in Grand Slams with his straight-set win over Alexander Bublik.
The first day of play in the women's singles draw featured business as usual for most of the top seeds. Iga Swiatek led the collection of straight-set seeded winners, but there was one stunning upset.
Maria Sakkari concluded a brutal year at Grand Slams with yet another first-round exit, this time at the hands of Rebeka Masarova.
Monday Results
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Men's Singles
Roberto Carballes Baena def. No. 4 Holger Rune, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 Casper Ruud def. Emilio Nava, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
No. 10 Frances Tiafoe def. Learner Tien, 6-2, 7-5, 6-1
No. 20 Francisco Cerundolo def. Zachary Svajda, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
No. 21 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Marcos Giron, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
No. 22 Adrian Mannarino def. Yosuke Watanuki, 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-5
Dominik Thiem def. No. 25 Alexander Bublik, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
No. 32 Laslo Djere def. Brandon Nakashima, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
Women's Singles
No. 1 Iga Swiatek def. Rebecca Peterson, 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 Elena Rybakina def. Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 6-1
Rebeka Masarova def. No. 8 Maria Sakkari, 6-4, 6-4
No. 10 Karolina Muchova def. Storm Hunter, 6-4, 6-0
No. 15 Belinda Bencic def. Kamilla Rakhimova, 6-2, 6-4
Bernarda Pera def. No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova, 7-5, 6-4
No. 18 Victoria Azarenka def. Fiona Ferro, 6-1, 6-2
No. 19 Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Sara Sorribes Tormo def. No. 28 Anhelina Kalinina, 6-4, 7-5
Kaja Juvan def. No. 29 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 6-2, 7-5
Top Ranked American Men Cruise into Second Round
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Fritz and Tiafoe had easy afternoons on the courts at the USTA National Tennis Center.
The pair of top 10 seeds did not drop a single set in their respective first-round matches.
Fritz, the highest-seeded American in the men's draw, dropped just five games against fellow American Steve Johnson.
Tiafoe, a US Open semifinalist in 2022, took down 17-year-old American Learner Tien in straight sets in the first men's match inside Arthur Ashe Stadium of the tournament.
Each member of the trio is looking to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick triumphed in New York 20 years ago.
They should have easy paths to the fourth round. Fritz would play Stefanos Tsitispas if form holds in his section, while Tiafoe could meet Casper Ruud in the fourth round.
If one of them reaches the semifinal, he would most likely have to take down Djokovic to reach the final, but as first days go, they could not have asked for better starts.
Holger Rune Upset, Dominic Thiem Ends Losing Streak
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The two eye-catching results on the men's side occurred in the same portion of the draw.
Rune, who has not won a match since Wimbledon, fell in four sets to Carballes Baena.
Rune won the second set, but then he failed to match the Spaniard's level in the third and fourth sets.
Thiem could be viewed as the favorite to reach the fourth round and take on Paul after Monday's results.
The 2020 US Open, who has dealt with injuries over the last few years, looked like his title-winning self in a three-set win.
The Austrian's next test comes against American Ben Shelton, who made a surprising run to the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year.
At his best, Thiem can beat Shelton and Carballes Baena to set up his first fourth-round appearance since the 2021 Australian Open.
If he continues to progress, Thiem will become one of the stories of the tournament due to his lengthy struggles with injuries.
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Maria Sakkari's Disastrous Grand Slam Form Continues
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Sakkari's Grand Slam play has not matched her seeding in 2023.
The eighth-seeded Greek suffered a first-round exit for the third consecutive major with her straight-set defeat to Masarova.
At the end of 2021, Sakkari appeared to be ready to contend for multiple Grand Slam titles. She reached the semifinals of the French and US Opens two years ago.
Since then, Sakkari owns a 9-8 record at Grand Slam tournaments. She last made it out of the third round at the 2022 Australian Open.
Her straight-set defeat was the exception to the trend of top players winning with ease on Monday.
Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Karolina Muchova, Victoria Azarenka and Belinda Bencic all won in straight sets.
Sakkari's loss should help Muchova, the No. 10 seed, the most in the coming week. Muchova and No. 19 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia are the only seeded players left in that section of the draw.
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