Djokovic, Sabalenka win before Medvedev tirade sparks chaos
- Last updated: August 26, 2025 | 09:37
Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic overcame early tests to reach the US Open second round before the Grand Slam descended into chaos late on Sunday when Daniil Medvedev launched a tirade at the match umpire and fans disrupted his opponent’s service game.
New York’s famously rowdy fans caused a six-minute delay by refusing to stop jeering and booing midway through Medvedev’s 6-3 7-5 6-7(5) 0-6 6-4 defeat by Benjamin Bonzi at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The controversy began when a photographer entered the court prematurely after Bonzi missed his first serve on match point at 5-4 in the third set, prompting chair umpire Greg Allensworth to award the Frenchman another first serve for the disturbance.
An incensed Medvedev exploded at the official and whipped up the crowd, preventing a rattled Bonzi from serving.
Medvedev, the 2021 champion at Flushing Meadows, fought off the match point and took the set in a tie break.
It was not to be his day, however, as Bonzi composed himself to secure a dramatic win.
“The energy was wild. Thanks to all the ones booing. Thanks for the energy in the fifth,” the Frenchman said.
“It was a crazy match point in the third. A crazy scenario. I was exhausted in the fourth set. I gave what I had in the final set. That’s a crazy win.”
World number one Sabalenka was among the marquee names on the opening day’s schedule and the Belarusian fed off the vocal Arthur Ashe crowd to overcome determined Swiss Rebeka Masarova 7-5 6-1. “I didn’t choose to play on Sunday, but if you win the match, it feels great. You have an extra day off, which can be good and bad. I’ve got used to it. I like it,” Sabalenka said.
Novak Djokovic has had plenty of time to recuperate after his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals but the Serb needed to find an extra gear to battle past Learner Tien 6-1 7-6(3) 6-2 as he launched his latest bid for a record 25th major title.
Victory in draining conditions under the lights made Djokovic the first player since the sport turned professional in 1968 to win 75 straight opening-round matches at Grand Slams. Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton enjoyed more straightforward wins. Last year’s finalist Fritz beat compatriot Emilio Nava 7-5 6-2 6-3 while 2023 semi-finalist Ben Shelton eased past Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse 6-3 6-2 6-4.
Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, who lost to Emma Raducanu in the final four years ago, defeated compatriot Rebecca Marino 6-2 6-1 while 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova saw off Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3 7-6(3).
Former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko made smooth progress with a 6-4 6-3 win over Chinese qualifier Wang Xiyu before last year’s New York runner-up Jessica Pegula got past Mayar Sherif 6-0 6-4. There were a handful of surprises, as qualifier Janice Tjen earned Indonesia’s first victory in a Grand Slam main draw in 22 years when she knocked out 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 4-6 6-4 to book a match-up with Raducanu.
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines got the crowd on their feet as she battled back from 1-5 in the deciding set to defeat Denmark’s 14th seed Clara Tauson 6-3 2-6 7-6(11) at the Grandstand.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova bid farewell to professional tennis at the US Open on Monday, closing the curtain on a glittering career that delivered 31 titles across the globe.
The 35-year-old Czech star, who lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2011 and 2014 and rose to a career-high ranking of World No. 2, fell 6-1, 6-0 to France’s Diane Parry in the opening round at Flushing Meadows.
“I had hoped to play a better match today,” Kvitova admitted during an on-court interview, following a tribute video highlighting her achievements. “It was difficult knowing this could be my last match — emotionally it was very hard.”
Longest surviving Wimbledon champion Mortimer Barrett dies: Three-time Grand Slam winner and the longest surviving Wimbledon women’s singles champion Angela Mortimer Barrett has died aged 93, the WTA said on Monday.
Briton Mortimer Barrett, who was partially deaf, won the French Championships (now known as the French Open) in 1955, the same year she won the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon with partner Anne Shilcock. Mortimer Barrett won the Australian Championships (later renamed the Australian Open) three years later, before clinching the Wimbledon singles title in 1961.
Agencies