Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva cruise through US Open opening round victories

Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva got their US Open campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday, with fourth-seeded Gauff and fifth-seeded Andreeva advancing in straight sets. Gauff beat Zeynep Snmez of Turkey 6-3, 6-4, while Andreeva eased past Indonesia’s Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-2.

Andreeva, the reigning French Open champion, looked comfortable under the Louis Armstrong Stadium roof as she used her power and accuracy to control Tjen. Meanwhile, Gauff continued her strong form at Arthur Ashe Stadium after arriving in New York fresh from winning the Cincinnati Open.

Andreeva, 19, enjoyed a breakout season and became the third-youngest women’s Grand Slam champion this century behind Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu when she won the French Open. Now she’s trying to put that success aside and manage the expectations that come with being a major champion.

“I talked a lot about it with my psychologist and tried to think of it as another tournament that I won this year and not put labels on it,” Andreeva told reporters. “Now I feel like I’m just trying to move on in a way like, ‘okay, I won. That was great,’ but now it’s another tournament that I want to win.”

ANDREEVE CONTINUES

Andreeva took a 3-2 lead in the opening set with a powerful forehand winner before taking complete control. She wrapped up the first set in just 31 minutes and created another early break in the second before completing a convincing victory.

The teenager also defeated Tjen in Cincinnati last month and said she entered their second meeting with a clear plan to be more aggressive.

“Our match in Cincinnati was really tough … the conditions were tough because it was hot and humid,” Andreeva said. “I tried to go for my shots and after everything I just feel like it was a better game today.

Andreeva will face Germany’s Eva Lys in the second round, who is bidding to advance to the second week at Flushing Meadows for the first time.

GAUFF KEEPING THE MOMENTUM

Gauff arrived at the US Open with a lot of confidence after winning the Cincinnati Open and defeating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the final. Against Snmez, she started with an ace and largely controlled the match with a strong serve, with several serves exceeding 120 mph.

The American briefly lost the lead in the second set when Snmez leveled at 2-2, but Gauff responded immediately. A double fault by the Turkish player gave Gauff another break and she held her nerve to close out the match in 80 minutes.

The 2023 US Open champion has often had a tough opening round in New York, needing three sets to advance from the first round five times in previous appearances. This time there were no such problems as she booked her place in the second round.

Gauff will next face either Paula Bados or Daria Kasatkina, whose first-round match was suspended due to rain. A second US Open title would also keep Gauff in contention for his first career stint at world number one.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

02 Sep 2026 06:40 IST