US Open: Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek begin title bids as Jannik Sinner launches defence

Flushing Meadows witnessed a blockbuster Tuesday as defending champion Jannik Sinner opened his campaign for back-to-back US Open titles, while former winners Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff also got their bids for glory underway.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!World number one Sinner headlined day three action on Arthur Ashe Stadium, easing past unseeded Czech Vit Kopriva in straight sets. The Italian, who has already lifted the Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns this year while finishing runner-up at Roland Garros, is chasing a slice of history in New York. If successful, the 24-year-old will become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to retain the title.Sinner’s preparations had been hampered by illness that forced him to retire from the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz earlier this month. Yet the top seed looked sharp on return, insisting his focus is fully on the fortnight ahead after overcoming an early-season doping controversy. “I feel like it’s over. We are focusing on hard work again and trying to get better as an athlete,” Sinner said.
In the women’s draw, 2022 champion Swiatek cruised past Colombia’s Emiliana Arango in her opener. Once labelled a clay-court specialist, the Polish star has added layers to her game in 2025, proving her adaptability on faster surfaces. Victories at Wimbledon and in Cincinnati underline her credentials, and she will be among the frontrunners at Flushing Meadows.Home favourite Gauff, the former US Open champion, also delighted fans in the night session. The third seed overcame Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic under the lights on Ashe, kick-starting her quest to recapture the title she memorably captured in 2023.Elsewhere, world number two Carlos Alcaraz, who could be Sinner’s biggest threat once more, began his campaign on Monday with a straight-sets win over American Reilly Opelka.