First round singles action concludes on Tuesday in New York.
Two years ago at the US Open, Coco Gauff stormed through the draw to win her first Major title. Three years ago at the US Open, Ajla Tomljanovic won the biggest match of her career, outlasting Serena Williams in a thrilling three-hour three-setter, sending Serena into retirement. On Tuesday, both Coco and Ajla return to the event where each has made history, as they collide in the first round.
Plus, Major champions Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, and Naomi Osaka all play their opening round matches.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Tuesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Lorenzo Musetti (10) vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard – 11:00am on Louis Armstrong Stadium
Musetti had quite a newsworthy 2024, and in 2025 experienced a great clay court season, reaching the semifinals or better at all three Masters 1000 events on clay, as well as at Roland Garros. However, an adductor injury incurred during that Roland Garros semifinal killed his momentum, and Lorenzo is just 1-5 in his last six matches. The Italian is also yet to excel at the US Open, where he is only 5-4 lifetime.
Mpetshi Perricard is one of the last unseeded names any player wants to see next to theirs in the draw, as his potent serving can effectively take control of the match away from his opponents. Like Lorenzo, Giovanni also had a breakout 2024 season, with 48 match wins at all levels. But the 22-year-old Frenchman has suffered from the dreaded “Sophomore Slump” during 2025, with a record of only 13-18 at tour level. A year ago, in his only prior US Open appearance, he lost in the first round.
These players met twice last season on grass, with Musetti prevailing both times. The first was a tight straight-setter in Stuttgart, with both sets decided by extended tiebreaks. A few weeks later, Lorenzo was victorious in four sets during the round of 16 at The Championships. On Tuesday, I give the slight edge to Musetti, in a match that will likely again be decided by small margins.
Alexander Bublik (23) vs. Marin Cilic – Second on Grandstand
Bublik went on quite a tear between May and July of this year. Starting with a Challenger tournament in Turin, he won 22 of 25 matches at all levels, and collected four titles (the Turin Challenger, plus ATP events in Halle, Gstaad, and Kitzbuhel). Sascha even reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros during that span. However, all of those results came on clay or grass, and this will be his first hard court match since March, after skipping both Canada and Cincinnati to rest. The North American hard court summer has never been Bublik’s favorite season, as he owns a combined record of 6-12 between Canada, Cincy, and the US Open.
Cilic achieved a few good results during that same time, which included a run to the second week of Wimbledon, where he upset British No.1 Jack Draper. The 2014 US Open champ has been forced to build his ranking back up from scratch, after undergoing multiple knee surgeries within the past few years. But Marin has not played a match since Wimbledon, and this is his first appearance in New York since 2022.
In three encounters between 2020 and 2022, Cilic went 3-0 against Bublik. Yet much like Bublik’s recent run, none of those matches were on a hard court. I am unclear on Marin’s current condition, and why he hasn’t played since Wimbledon. Regardless, based on Sascha’s recent form, Bublik must be favored.
Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Coco Gauff (3) – Not Before 7:00pm on Arthur Ashe Stadium
After a disappointing summer in 2024, and losing in the fourth round of her US Open title defense, Gauff changed up her coaching team. And she promptly went on a great run, winning 13 of her last 15 matches last year. Coco carried that momentum into this season, when she claimed her second Major singles title in Paris. However, her form has again deteriorated, as forehand errors and double faults have returned to her game. So starting with this event, Coco made another coaching change, hiring biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan to address those issues. MacMillan previously cured Aryna Sabalenka of her double faulting woes – can he do the same for Gauff?
Since her victory here three years ago over Serena Williams, and reaching her third Major quarterfinal within a 14-month span, injuries have derailed the career of Tomljanovic. She missed nearly all of 2023 due to knee surgery, and has not been able to rediscover her form. In her last seven Major appearances, Ajla has gone just 4-7.
This is a rematch from last summer’s Paris Olympics, where Gauff easily prevailed 6-3, 6-0. Coco is a strong favorite to defeat Ajla again on Tuesday, though it will be interested to watch for any noticeable changes to her service motion thanks to MacMillan.
Greet Minnen vs. Naomi Osaka (23) – Not Before 7:00pm on Louis Armstrong Stadium
Since returning from maternity leave nearly two years ago, Osaka has just not been able to get back to the level that won her four hard court Majors between 2018 and 2021. She has not advanced to the second week of a Slam since her last Major triumph nearly four years ago. But earlier this month in Montreal, Naomi played her best tennis in years, advancing to her first WTA 1000 final since April of 2022. Yet that was before a discouraging performance in that final, where she acted quite immaturely and lost to 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko. In spite of that, can Osaka build upon that result, and make a deep run in New York?
Minnen is a 28-year-old Belgian who has never visited the second week of a Major. And though she is a two-time WTA titleholder, Tennis Abstract reveals she is just 2-19 lifetime against top 20 opposition. Last year on clay in Madrid, she lost to Osaka 6-4, 6-1.
So while Greet shouldn’t pose too much of a threat, I’m most curious to observe Naomi’s on-court form, and more importantly her demeanor, coming off an impressive yet also bitterly disappointing run in Canada.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Emiliana Arango vs. Iga Swiatek (2) – Since the end of her surprisingly subpar clay court season, Swiatek is an excellent 17-2 on faster surfaces, with titles at Wimbledon and Cincinnati. Arango is a 24-year-old Columbian making her US Open debut.
Amanda Anisimova (8) vs. Katie Birrell – This will be Anisimova’s first match at a Major since her great run to the final of The Championships, where she was unfortunately trounced by Swiatek by a score of 6-0, 6-0. Birrell is a 27-year-old Australian who is 0-5 at Majors outside of Melbourne.
Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Vit Kopriva – Disregarding his loss to Alcaraz in the final of Cincinnati last week, where Sinner retired after five games due to illness, the Italian hasn’t lost a hard court match in nearly a year. Kopriva is another player making their debut at this event.
Alexander Zverev (3) vs. Alejandro Tabilo – Zverev’s results have been scattered since losing his third Major final this past January, but he’s reached the quarterfinals or better in his last four US Open appearances. His only previous meeting with Tabilo was one of the biggest matches of Alejandro’s career, as the German defeated the Chilean in the semifinals of Rome last May.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
