Sakkari v Maria
Maria Sakkari began her 11th US Open campaign in the best possible way. Playing with great energy, she deservedly defeated 38-year-old German Tatjana Maria 6–3, 6–2 in just 85 minutes, securing her place in the second round.
For the 30-year-old Sakkari, a strong performance was also important for psychological reasons, and she delivered. She finished the match with 37 winners and, despite recording 24 unforced errors and six double faults, she never allowed Tatjana Maria any real chance to respond.
This was Sakkari’s 15th victory at the US Open – coincidentally, her previous win at the tournament also came against the same opponent back in 2022.
Her second-round clash is now scheduled for Friday, 29 August against Hungary’s Anna Bondár, taking place on the Grandstand court.
Tsitsipas v Müller
Stefanos Tsitsipas, showing glimpses of his old form, made the perfect start at the US Open, defeating Alexandre Müller 4-6, 6-0, 6-1, 7-6(5) to advance to the second round.’Stefanos Tsitsipas, showing glimpses of his old form, made the perfect start at the US Open, defeating Alexandre Müller 4-6, 6-0, 6-1, 7-6(5) to advance to the second round.
Tsitsipas responded strongly in the second set, completely dominating Müller with a flawless performance. After quickly taking control at 3-0, he piled on six winners and outscored his opponent 24-9 in points to seal the set 6-0 in just 23 minutes. Riding the momentum, he continued with relentless pressure in the third, racing to a 4-1 lead and breaking Müller twice more before closing it out 6-1. In just 49 minutes, he had turned a one-set deficit into a 2-1 advantage.
The fourth set proved tighter, with both players trading breaks and Müller briefly regaining confidence to lead 5-4. Tsitsipas, however, held firm to push the set into a tie-break. There, he raised his level once again, earning a crucial mini-break and converting his second match point to clinch it 7-6(5), completing a comeback victory and sealing his place in the second round.
Stefanos’ 2nd round opponent will be determined in the match between Daniel Altmaier and Hamad Medjedovic.
