Maria Stuns Ostapenko as US Open Upsets Pile Up; Sabalenka and Swiatek Loom Large

The US Open's opening rounds delivered exactly what they are supposed to: a handful of genuine shocks, a few statements from the leading names, and a bracket that already looks meaningfully different from the one printed on Sunday.

The headline belonged to Tatjana Maria, who recovered from a set down to beat Jelena Ostapenko 4-6 6-1 6-2. Ostapenko took the opener on the back of her usual flat, first-strike hitting, but once Maria began mixing slice depth with changes of height and pace, the error count on the other side of the net climbed and never came back down. Losing eight of the last nine games of the match, Ostapenko exits early; Maria advances and now faces Nikola Bartunkova, ranked 34, in a contrast of styles that could be one of Wednesday's more absorbing lower-profile assignments.

On the men's side the biggest casualty was Matteo Berrettini, beaten 3-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 by Mariano Navone. The Argentine, a clay-court specialist by reputation, absorbed the Italian's serve well enough to turn the match into the kind of long, physical exchange he prefers, and closed it out in a fourth-set tie-break. Marcos Giron also went out, edged 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-7 6-1 by Ignacio Buse, while Fabian Marozsan was dismissed in straight sets 6-4 6-4 6-2 by Michael Zheng.

Elsewhere, the seeded order largely held. Aryna Sabalenka was ruthless, needing only 6-1 6-1 against Polina Iatcenko, and Emma Navarro recovered from a set down to see off Caty McNally 3-6 6-2 6-3. Elina Svitolina survived the day's most stubborn test, beating Maya Joint 6-2 6-7 6-4, and Ann Li came from behind to oust Donna Vekic 5-7 7-6 6-4. Anna Kalinskaya, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Kamilla Rakhimova and Iva Jovic all progressed, as did Francesca Jones at the expense of Magda Linette.

The men's second round was similarly kind to the favourites. Alexander Bublik was the most emphatic, conceding five games in total to Adrian Mannarino, 6-3 6-1 6-1. Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Jiri Lehecka, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Denis Shapovalov, Valentin Vacherot and Wu Y. all advanced, while Stefanos Tsitsipas needed four sets and two tie-breaks to subdue Lloyd Harris 6-7 6-3 7-6 6-4 — competent rather than convincing. Jesper de Jong required five sets to get past Francesco Passaro.

Wednesday's schedule is heavy with marquee names. Iga Swiatek, seeded eighth, faces Nadia Podoroska, while Mirra Andreeva, the No. 5, meets Eva Lys — a genuine test of the young Russian's temperament against an opponent ranked 98 who has proved awkward on quick surfaces. Naomi Osaka's meeting with Katerina Siniakova is the pick of the women's draw on paper, a former champion against a player whose returning has troubled far bigger hitters. Amanda Anisimova faces 19-year-old Lilli Tagger, Madison Keys plays Anna Bondar, and Alexandra Eala takes on Oleksandra Oliynykova.