Women’s third seed Pegula took 83 minutes to secure the victory, winning 92 percent on first serve.
Home player Jessica Pegula eased past Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2, while Serbia’s Novak Djokovic was shocked by Argentina’s Mariano Navone in a five-set marathon as the U.S. Open first-round singles matches started on Sunday.
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Women’s third seed Pegula took 83 minutes to secure the victory, winning 92 percent on first serve. “I thought today I played a really clean match. I felt nervous before I went out there, but I know my coaches were, like, ‘You didn’t really look that nervous. We thought you played great,'” the American said.
Elina Svitolina of Ukraine also had a comfortable win over Argentina’s Solana Sierra 6-1, 6-2, China’s Wang Xinyu saw off Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-4, 6-2, while Wang’s 37-year-old compatriot Zhang Shuai lost to 31st seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada 6-3, 6-2 in the women’s singles first round.
“I will strive to play my own game. No matter who is on the other side of the court, I will try to be as aggressive as possible,” noted Wang, 24.
In the men’s singles, fourth seed Djokovic struggled with physical problems on his way to a 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 defeat.
Jessica Pegula is not playing around this US Open.
Crushing the ball with ridiculous ease.
That is some ball striking.
pic.twitter.com/dRLs8gtUET
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 30, 2026
“I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me,” Djokovic said. “It’s something that I have been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year – you know, vomiting, throwing up, serious issue there. And then my whole body starts to collapse, basically, cramping and pain.”
The 39-year-old added, “The back just gave up in the end, and the shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out. I was a break-up in the fourth, but just struggled all the way, since the fourth game of the match.”
Djokovic gave credit to Navone and the crowd after the match, saying, “They were trying to lift me up in important moments. The love and appreciation they gave me in the end really touched my heart.”
In other matches, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev beat Hugo Gaston of France 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, American Tommy Paul rallied past Coleman Wong of Hong Kong, China, 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3, and China’s Wu Yibing swept Australia’s Adam Walton 7-6 (2), 6-2, 7-5 to reach the men’s singles second round.
On Monday, defending champions Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain will begin their women’s and men’s singles campaigns, respectively, while China’s Zheng Qinwen, Wang Xiyu and Shang Juncheng will also compete in the first round.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: Xinhua
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