Putintseva Overturns Bencic as US Open First Round Delivers Its First Jolts

The opening rounds of a Grand Slam rarely reward the tidy narrative, and the latest instalment at Flushing Meadows was no exception. Yulia Putintseva produced the headline result of the women's draw, losing the first set to Belinda Bencic before turning the match around 4-6 7-5 6-3. The middle set was the hinge: Putintseva, who has built a career on refusing to concede rhythm to bigger hitters, dragged Bencic into extended exchanges and closed out the decider without a stumble.

The men's day belonged, in terms of drama, to Flavio Cobolli. Two sets down and comprehensively outplayed by Francisco Comesana, the Italian recalibrated to win 3-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 6-4, a five-set escape that will cost him energy but buys him a second-round slot. Arthur Gea travelled a similarly long road, edging Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3 2-6 3-6 6-3 6-1 after surrendering the middle of the match, and Dane Sweeny removed Corentin Moutet 7-6 6-4 in the day's other notable men's departure.

At the top of the seeding lists, the business was conducted with minimal fuss. Lorenzo Musetti dropped nothing of substance against Arthur Fery, winning 6-3 6-3 7-5, while Taylor Fritz needed 6-3 6-2 6-4 to see off Darwin Blanch. Francisco Cerundolo advanced 6-4 6-3 7-5 past Filip Misolic and Jan-Lennard Struff dismissed Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-4 6-3 6-3. Mattia Bellucci's 6-4 6-2 6-0 win over Zsombor Piros was the most emphatic scoreline of the men's session, and Tristan Schoolkate came through a scrappy four-setter against Nishesh Basavareddy, 7-6 3-6 6-3 6-4.

The women's draw offered a procession of straightforward wins. Mirra Andreeva needed only 6-2 6-2 against Janice Tjen, Elena Rybakina was equally clinical in beating Thea Frodin 6-3 6-2, and Anastasia Potapova matched that efficiency against Darja Semenistaja. Elise Mertens, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Eva Lys, Anna Bondar, Yuliia Starodubtseva and Oleksandra Oliynykova all advanced in two sets. Maria Sakkari, by contrast, had to work: a set and a break adrift of Robin Montgomery, she recovered for a 2-6 7-5 6-2 win that says as much about her competitive stubbornness as her form.

Wednesday's schedule raises the stakes considerably. Alexander Zverev, the world number two, opens against Lorenzo Sonego, ranked 89, in a match where the Italian's variety and willingness to change tempo make the straightforward reading of the rankings unreliable on a fast hard court. Daniil Medvedev, at number eight, meets the unranked Sebastian Gorzny, while Ben Shelton faces Hubert Hurkacz in comfortably the most compelling first-round pairing of the men's programme: two of the biggest serves in the draw, with a return game likely to be measured in single break points.

Alex de Minaur, seeded seventh, takes on the unranked Andrea Guerrieri, and there are attractive domestic collisions elsewhere: Brandon Nakashima against Alex Michelsen, and Alexander Bublik against Adrian Mannarino, a contrast of shot-making and left-handed disruption. Tommy Paul faces the 102nd-ranked Dino Prizmic, Andrey Rublev meets Daniel Merida, Jiri Lehecka plays Toby Samuel and Valentin Vacherot draws Kamil Majchrzak.