2020 US Open
Off to the races: The best pictures from the US Open first round
From Serena Williams and Sofia Kenin to Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber, all the best pictures as 29 out of 32 seeds and six out of nine mothers were victorious in the first round of the 2020 US Open.
01
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2016 champion Angelique Kerber kicked off this year's US Open with a straight-sets defeat of Ajla Tomljanovic, the German's first match since the Australian Open.
Photo by Darren Carroll/USTA
02
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Anna Kalinskaya warmed up around the grounds, accompanied by her new puppy.
Photo by Brad Penner/USTA
03
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Jasmine Paolini strikes a backhand in her US Open debut against Caroline Garcia.
Photo by Andrew Ong/USTA
04
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Garcia celebrates moving past Paolini in straight sets into round two for the fifth time.
Photo by Andrew Ong/USTA
05
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Garcia will next face top seed Karolina Pliskova, who accelerated past Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-0 after recovering an early break.
Photo by Darren Carroll/USTA
06
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Kateryna Bondarenko could not be with daughter Karin on her first day of school - but the Ukrainian was seen reading from her schoolbook on a changeover, and came from a set down to defeat Allie Kiick.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
07
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Roland Garros runner-up Marketa Vondrousova snapped a four-match losing streak to beat Greet Minnen in straight sets.
Photo by Andrew Ong/USTA
08
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Fellow seeded Czech Petra Kvitova joined Vondrousova in the second round after powering past Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
09
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Hobart quarterfinalist Lizette Cabrera battled for two hours and 10 minutes against Danka Kovinic in the first round.
Photo by Pete Staples/USTA
10
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However, Montenegro's Kovinic came through 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 over Cabrera to book her place in the US Open second round for the first time since 2015.
Photo by Carmen Mandato/USTA
11
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16-year-old prodigy Coco Gauff showed her trademark fighting spirit to come from a set and break down to level her match against No.31 seed Anastasija Sevastova at a set all.
Photo by Getty
12
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Sevastova, a quarterfinalist here in 2016-17 and a semifinalist in 2018, held firm to recover from losing her lead, outserving and outfoxing Gauff 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Photo by Getty
13
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Elena Rybakina, one of the most in-form players prior to the Tour pause, picked up her first win of the resumption, conceding just three games to Grand Slam debutante Katarina Zavatska.
Photo by Andrew Glanzman/USTA
14
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18-year-old former junior World No.1 Whitney Osuigwe bends for a volley during her first-round loss to Kateryna Kozlova.
Photo by Andrew Ong/USTA
15
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15-year-old Robin Montgomery, the youngest player in the draw, was making her Grand Slam debut, and faced a tough opener in the form of two-time Roland Garros quarterfinalist Yulia Putintseva.
Photo by Andrew Glanzman/USTA
16
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No.23 seed Putintseva dropped just four games to Montgomery en route to making the second round for the fourth time.
Photo by Andrew Glanzman/USTA
17
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Returning to the Grand Slam stage after struggling with injury and illness in 2019, Belarusian former World No.60 Vera Lapko roared back from 1-6, 1-4 down to overcome Viktorija Golubic 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-2.
Photo by Simon Bruty/USTA
18
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Hiroshima finalist Misaki Doi keeps her eye on a high ball during an all-Japanese first-round derby against 2018 champion Naomi Osaka.
Photo by Getty
19
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Fourth seed Naomi Osaka, who wore a facemask honoring Breonna Taylor to walk on court, bounced back from the hamstring injury that had forced her to withdraw from last week's Cincinnati final to move past Doi in three sets.
Photo by Getty
20
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Catherine Bellis recovered from losing the longest WTA tiebreak since Nurnberg 2017, where Yanina Wickmayer beat Amra Sadikovic 7-6(15), 6-7(4), 6-2, to overcome Tamara Korpatsch 6-7(13), 6-3, 6-2.
Photo by Carmen Mandato/USTA
21
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No.13 seed Alison Riske concluded the first day's play with a home win, defeating Tatjana Maria in straight sets.
Photo by Adam Glanzman/USTA
22
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As rain delayed the start of Day 2's play elsewhere, Nao Hibino kicked off proceedings on Louis Armstrong Stadium by leaping out to a 4-1 lead over No.10 seed Garbiñe Muguruza.
Photo by Getty
23
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Muguruza had only lost two games to Hibino in each of their previous meetings but, playing for the first time since the Tour resumption, was made to work harder for a 6-4, 6-4 first-round win.
Photo by Getty
24
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Showing astonishingly little rust, though, was former World No.31 Tsvetana Pironkova, playing her first match since Wimbledon 2017 following maternity leave and looking sharp in defeating Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets.
Photo by Mike Lawrence/USTA
25
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Acapulco champion Heather Watson served seven aces in her first four service games, and 12 overall, against British compatriot Johanna Konta in the first round.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
26
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However, ninth seed Konta nearly matched Watson with 11 aces, and preserved her perfect record against countrywomen at WTA level after saving six set points in the first set to win 7-6(7), 6-1.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
27
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Roland Garros semifinalist Amanda Anisimova came from a break down in both sets before squeezing past Viktoriya Tomova 7-5, 7-5 in the first round to seal her first ever US Open main draw victory.
Photo by Getty
28
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Former World No.2 Vera Zvonareva made her US Open debut in 2002 - a week before her 2020 first-round opponent Leylah Fernandez was born.
Photo by Carmen Mandato/USTA
29
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Fast-rising Acapulco finalist Fernandez came through a high-quality contest against 2010 US Open runner-up Zvonareva, winning 6-4, 7-5 to set up a second-round clash against No.2 seed Sofia Kenin.
Photo by Carmen Mandato/USTA
30
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Natalia Vikhlyantseva leans into a backhand during her opening match against wildcard Katrina Scott.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
31
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Fellow 2004-born Americans Coco Gauff and Robin Montgomery had lost their openers, but 16-year-old World No.637 Katrina Scott stunned Natalia Vikhlyantseva to become the youngest player in the second round.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
32
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2009 semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer was playing her first US Open main draw since 2018 - and had defeated No.2 seed Sofia Kenin in their only previous meeting.
Photo by Andrew Glanzman/USTA
33
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Australian Open champion Kenin made quick work of revenge, though, dismissing Wickmayer 6-2, 6-2 to win her first match of the Tour resumption.
Photo by Getty
34
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Only three seeds fell in the first round, with the highest of them being No.25 Zhang Shuai, who lost from a set up to Ysaline Bonaventure.
Photo by Andrew Ong/USTA
35
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Third seed Serena Williams kicked off her quest for a 24th Grand Slam title with a 7-5, 6-3 defeat of fellow American Kristie Ahn - the 38-year-old's first straight-setter in her last nine matches.
Photo by Darren Carroll/USTA
36
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Six out of eight mothers won their openers, with former World No.35 Olga Govortsova - playing her first US Open main draw since 2015 - defeating Asia Muhammad in straight sets.
Photo by Brad Penner/USTA
37
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Patricia Maria Tig made it six mothers in the second round after dropping just one game against Kurumi Nara, joining Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Kateryna Bondarenko, Tsvetana Pironkova and Olga Govortsova.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
38
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A popcorn first-round tie pitted former World No.1 Venus Williams against Wimbledon quarterfinalist and No.20 seed Karolina Muchova.
Photo by Getty
39
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Muchova, who already owns victories over Garbiñe Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova on the Grand Slam stage, added another big-name win after defeating Venus 6-3, 7-5.
Photo by Getty
40
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Aliona Bolsova ousted the in-form Lexington finalist Jil Teichmann in a first-round upset, the Spaniard winning 7-6(3), 6-2 to maintain her 100% record in three Grand Slam openers.
Photo by Carmen Mandato/USTA
41
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Former World No.73 Sachia Vickery triumphed in an all-American derby over Taylor Townsend in straight sets, edging ahead 4-3 in the pair's rivalry and reaching the US Open second round for a third time.
Photo by Brad Penner/USTA
42
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Bernarda Pera captured her second win at her home Grand Slam, coming from an early break down to race away 7-6(4), 6-0 over Zarina Diyas.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
43
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Sloane Stephens made it 16 Americans in the second round, posting her second victory of 2020 in straight sets over former World No.20 Mihaela Buzarnescu.
Photo by Getty
44
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Three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters took a set lead over No.21 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova - the first set the 37-year-old has won in her second comeback this year.
Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA
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