News

Wimbledon champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek get off to good starts at the US Open

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, serves to Vit Kopriva, of the Czech Republic, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Photo: Associated Press


By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Iga Swiatek is trying to do something no woman has done since Serena Williams in 2012: win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in the same season.
Jannik Sinner is trying to do something no man has done since Roger Federer in 2008: repeat as U.S. Open champion.
By the looks of things on Tuesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium as the now-three-day first round wrapped up, the two players who triumphed at the All England Club last month — and who both served short doping-related bans last year — look ready to contend again in New York. And how.
The second-seeded Swiatek was up first in the U.S. Open’s main arena and needed merely an hour to dismiss Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-1, 6-2. No. 1 Sinner then took only 39 minutes more to finish off his 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Vit Kopriva of the Czech Republic.
“Obviously, every year is different,” said Sinner, sporting the white arm sleeve he began wearing after hurting his elbow in a fall during Wimbledon. “You come here starting this tournament, hopefully, the best possible way — which I did.”
He certainly showed no signs of the virus that forced him to quit in the first set of the Cincinnati Open final against his biggest rival, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, last week.
Either Sinner or Alcaraz, who have combined to win the past seven major titles, can own the top ATP ranking after these 15 days. Similarly, Swiatek, Coco Gauff or No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion, can leave New York atop the WTA.
On Tuesday, Sinner saved both break points he faced and won 33 of 40 first-serve points.
Swiatek was even more dominant, not only never facing a break point but never even being taken to deuce in any of her eight service games, while accumulating a 26-5 edge in winners.
There was a time when some folks, perhaps swayed by Swiatek’s dominance on the French Open’s red clay, thought she couldn’t succeed on the speedier surfaces of hard and grass courts. That certainly was not the case, as her championships at Wimbledon in July and at the U.S. Open in 2022 make obvious.
Ten women have split the past 11 trophies in New York; only Naomi Osaka, in 2018 and 2020, won more than one in that span. And Williams, with three in a row from 2012 to 2014, was the last woman to leave as the champion in consecutive years.
As for the men, no one has collected two in a row at the U.S. Open since Federer’s five straight titles from 2004 to 2008, before he lost in the 2009 final to Juan Martin del Potro.
Sinner was asked why that might be.
“We are heading towards end of the season, so some players, they are tired. Some players, they are feeling different. Many things can change. It’s also the last big trophy of the year. … I always say that the future is unpredictable,” he said. “So I don’t know what’s going to happen this time.”
What else happened at the US Open on Tuesday?
Seeded winners included 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, No. 8 Amanda Anisimova, No. 18 Beatriz Haddad Maia, No. 23 Naomi Osaka and No. 27 Marta Kostyuk among the women, and No. 3 Alexander Zverev, No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 19 Francisco Cerundolo, No. 23 Alexander Bublik — who eliminated 2014 champion Marin Cilic — and No. 27 Denis Shapovalov among the men. Gauff defeated Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5, and Zverev was a 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-4 winner against Alejandro Tabilo in a match that ended a little before 1 a.m.
Who is scheduled to play Wednesday at Flushing Meadows?
Sabalenka, Alcaraz, 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic and 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Jessica Pegula are on the Day 4 schedule as the second round begins.
___
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

News

50 minutes ago in Entertainment

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ brings revolution to the (very) big screen

Fresh

Paul Thomas Anderson spent about 20 years writing "One Battle After Another." After two decades, it's never felt more relevant.

54 minutes ago in Entertainment, Music

Q&A: Mariah Carey enters ‘the era of me’ with her first album in 7 years

Fresh

Seven years after her last album and 35 years into a powerhouse career, Mariah Carey continues her reign as the queen of pop and R&B with "Here for It All."

56 minutes ago in National

Hegseth abruptly summons top military commanders to a meeting in Virginia next week

Fresh

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military's top officers — hundreds of generals and admirals — to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to three people familiar with the matter.

1 hour ago in National

Trump escalates retribution campaign with charges against Comey and threats against liberal groups

Fresh

President Donald Trump's unprecedented retribution campaign against his perceived political enemies reached new heights as his Justice Department brought criminal charges against a longtime foe and he expanded his efforts to classify certain liberal groups as "domestic terrorist organizations."

1 day ago in Lifestyle

Lice concerns rise as children return to school. Here’s what parents can do

Children have returned to school and are bringing home stories about the things they learned and the friends they made. But some parents are concerned they could also be bringing home a tiny nuisance — lice.

2 days ago in Lifestyle

One path to kick-starting a healthier lifestyle: Start small

Wellness advice seems to be everywhere these days, but change can be hard. How do you start a journey toward better health that you can stick with, and not be overwhelmed?

2 days ago in National

Camp Mystic plans to reopen in Texas next summer, a year after floods killed 27

The owners of Camp Mystic say they plan to partially reopen next summer the all-girls camp where 27 campers and counselors were killed during catastrophic floods that swept through the Texas Hill Country in July.

2 days ago in Entertainment

Emotional Jimmy Kimmel says in late-night return he never intended to make light of Kirk’s killing

Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television Tuesday after a nearly weeklong suspension and, in an emotional monologue where he appeared close to tears, said that he wasn't trying to joke about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

2 days ago in National

3 people shot at immigration facility in Dallas and the shooter is dead, official says

Three people have been shot at an Immigration and U.S. Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas and the shooter is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the agency's director said.

3 days ago in National

Man who represented himself is found guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at Florida golf course

The man who was charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course last year tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen shortly after being found guilty of all counts on Tuesday.