Taylor Fritz called the US Open “the most important tournament for us Americans all year,” as 23 men and 25 women from the home soil are competing in the final major of the year. And Day 1 at the 2025 US Open kicked off with 14 Americans in action, where the top 10 players, including Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, were seen taking the reins on the court. However, apart from the homegrown players, there is also a spotlight on other top athletes.

Some players won without breaking a sweat, while a few of them toiled for hours with the result in their favor. Plus, the drama of racket breaking and arguing with the officials all happened on the first day. Let’s recap some upsets and talk about how the Americans fared.

Daniil Medvedev’s biggest upset ends the night on Day 1 of the US Open

Out of luck? Well, that’s the only thing that can explain the 13th seed having a horrible Grand Slam year. For context, he bowed out in the second round at the Australian Open at the start of the year. Since then, he saw exits in the first round for both the French Open and Wimbledon. After today, the streak continued at the U.S. Open. This time, it was Benjamin Bonzi with a masterful win 6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 0-6, 6-4.

On top of that, today’s first round match had all the theatrics. From a photographer unceremoniously stopping the match point to Medvedev not being polite with the official, and he ended up breaking his racquet.

On the other hand, in a dramatic comeback, world No. 75 Alexandra Eala rallied from 5-1 down in the final set and clinched a nerve-wracking tiebreak 13–11. She became the first Filipino player in the Open Era to win a main-draw match at a Grand Slam. She came back from a double break in the third set to upset No. 14 seed Clara Tauson, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, reaching the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time. There was time for more record-breaking performances.

Janice Tjen (Indonesia) upset No. 24 seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday in 2 hours, 11 minutes. The Indonesian qualifier Tjen pulled off a stunning upset with a three-set victory over the seeded Kudermetova, marking a significant milestone–the first singles win by an Indonesian player in a Grand Slam tournament in 22 years.

Another surprise came when the 29th seed Tallon Griekspoor was dispatched in straight sets by Adrian Mannarino, going 0–6 in the third set. The Frenchman who dropped out of the Top 100 last January did not lose his form as he went 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 against the Dutchman.

A roller coaster of results for the Americans

As stated earlier, Fritz called it the most important tournament. He was in one of the two clashes, which was an All-American battle. The No. 4 seed cruised over with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Emilio Nava, a wild-card entry, at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The next battle was between the two former college standouts in Stephan Dostanic and Elliot Spizzirri, and this wasn’t straightforward. Spizzirri, the current world No. 127, had to toil in the match against the compatriot that resulted 7-5, 6-4, 7-6(4). This victory also makes Spizzirri’s first appearance in the second round of a Grand Slam.

No. 5 American and no. 31 seed Brandon Nakashima came back from two-sets-to-one down to defeat qualifier Jeseper de Jong. The Netherlands star made it tough, but Nakashima took advantage and continued his journey with a thriller, 6-2, 6-7(5), 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(7).

N0.6 Ben Shleton had no such problems in his match. He needed just 2 hours, 7 minutes to get past qualifier Ignacio Buse of Peru 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. In fact, Shelton was the first player of this tournament to play on the iconic Arthur Ashe show court.

Similarly, on the women’s side, Jessica Pegula, who reached her first Grand Slam final 12 months ago, kept her pace right from the go. She ended the contest in one hour and 15 minutes with a convincing  6-0, 6-4 win.

The No. 11 seed, Emma Navarro, had to dig deep to get her win over Wang Yafan of China, 7-6(9), 6-3. She prevailed in the tiebreak by converting her fourth set point to win the set in one hour, 16 minutes.

Another highlight battle and some cause for concern also came from 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic. The No. 7 seed was quick in the first set and needed just 24 minutes against the teenager, Learner Tien. Despite the first round, the American looked stronger in the second, and it took Djokovic nearly an hour longer.”I don’t know. I don’t have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points,” Djokovic said after his 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 labouring win.

To catch more live action from the courts of Flushing Meadows, check for latest updates on EssentiallySports Live Blog.