New York, Aug 31 (IANS) The 2026 US Open started most disappointingly for Novak Djokovic, the most successful male player in Grand Slam tournaments, as the fourth seed made a stunning and dramatic exit from the men’s singles competition on the opening day in New York.
Mariano Navone upset Djokovic in a five-set stunner on Monday (IST), handing the 24-time Grand Slam champion his first opening-round defeat at a Grand Slam since 2006.
Navone earned a 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win in Arthur Ashe Stadium, pulling away in the final two sets as Djokovic struggled physically under the closed roof.
The fourth-seeded Djokovic, a four-time US Open champion, looked out of sorts after bursting from the gate in a four-hour, 36-minute match, the longest first-rounder ever in a major.
The physical troubles that waylaid the Serb in a recent loss at Cincinnati visited once again, as energy and winners were in short supply.
The other highlight of the first day was the successful return to the tournament by the 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev. After a disappointing first-round exit to a Frenchman in 2025, Medvedev made sure there would be no repeat of the dramatic exit on his return to the US Open on Sunday.
Medvedev opened his campaign at the hard-court major in controlled fashion, defeating qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and 14 minutes. Last year, Medvedev fell to Benjamin Bonzi in a chaotic five-set opener that did not finish until 12:49 a.m. local time. But this time, the former World No. 1 returned to Flushing Meadows with a point to prove.
Defending just 10 points this fortnight, Medvedev has a major opportunity to climb further inside the world’s Top 10. His victory over Gaston has lifted him two spots to No. 6 in the ATP Live Rankings.
Into the second round for the eighth time in his US Open career, Medvedev will next face either American wild card Sebastian Gorzny or Raphael Collignon.
In other first-round action on Sunday in New York, home hope Tommy Paul rallied from a sluggish start to defeat qualifier Coleman Wong 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. This fortnight, Paul is chasing a place in the quarter-finals for the first time at the US Open, with which he would complete the set of quarter-final appearances at all four Grand Slam tournaments, becoming the only active American man to achieve the feat.
Prizmic saved both match points on return at 4-5 in the fifth set before reeling off three straight games to seal the comeback, then fell to his back in celebration. The victory marks the 21-year-old Croatian’s first US Open win, having qualified for the main draw in 2025 before falling to Andrey Rublev in the main draw.
Prizmic’s fellow former Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Luca Van Assche also scored a statement win on Sunday, when he upset 29th-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie 6-7(8), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. By earning his first win in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Norrie (1-3), Van Assche advanced to a second-round clash with Denis Shapovalov.
–IANS
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