Hot shot: 'Roadrunner' Sara Bejlek shows off incredible speed at US Open

Another tournament, another ridiculous piece of defensive work from Sara Bejlek.

The No. 28 seed was everywhere in this point against Cristina Bucsa in the US Open first round -- sprinting back to retrieve a lob from the Spaniard, then diagonally up the court to get to Bucsa's volley. And the wow factor wasn't just that Bejlek could get to those balls, but what she was able to do with them -- to first dip her pass low, meaning Bucsa couldn't get as sharp an angle on her volley as she might have wanted, and then to flick a delicate backhand slice past for a remarkable winner.

It's far from the first time Bejlek has used her speed to pull off something extraordinary -- such points were hallmarks of her runs to the Prague quarterfinals in July and her breakthrough Cincinnati semifinal showing two weeks ago, which included wins over Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys.

This shot helped Bejlek to level the match at one set all, but Bucsa took control again in the decider to pull off a 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 upset. The result overturned the formbook -- Bejlek's Cincinnati run had grabbed the attention and made the 20-year-old Czech a dark horse to make a deep run in New York. By contrast, Bucsa had won just three out of 17 matches since capturing her maiden WTA title in Merida in February.

Nonetheless, it's Bucsa who moves on to face Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakatsume in the second round. World No. 144 Sakatsume, 25, claimed the first Grand Slam main-draw win of her career 6-3, 6-3 over Anhelina Kalinina -- a result that was also her fourth career Top 100 win, three of which have come in 2026.