The Tiebreak: US Open 2025 Round 1 Recap

Hi loves,

I want to start a ‘mini blog’ series where we can do short, snappy recaps of matches, days or rounds of tournaments. I am calling this ‘The Tiebreak’. Where better to start this series than an action packed few days at the US Open? Let’s do a quick US Open 2025 Round 1 Recap. 

Meddy’s Meltdown

If you haven’t been living under a rock you will have seen Daniil Medvedev lose his cool in his match against Benjamin Bonzi. Okay, ‘lose his cool’ might be the understatement of the century - but stay with me. This is the second slam in a row Medvedev has drawn Bonzi, and it is the second slam in a row he has lost to Bozni in round 1; he lost in four sets to the Frenchman at Wimbledon a few months ago. However, that match was nowhere near as dramatic as this. On match point to Bonzi, once the first serve had been hit and been called out, a cameraman decided to run onto court leaving the umpire Greg Allensworth no choice but to award another first serve to Bonzi (of course it was Greg in the chair when all the drama ensued - if you know, you know). Daniil was furious and made sure to make his feelings very clear to Allensworth, repeatedly getting the crowd to boo louder and shouting ‘What did Reilly Opelka say?’ over and over again. This is a reference to Opelka saying Allensworth was the worst umpire on the tour. After a delay of 6 minutes, the match got back underway, Medvedev saved the match point and they continued on for another 3 sets. Game, set, match to Bonzi - queue Meddy smashing rackets. Who’s surprised? Anyone? I didn't think so. It was a match that went on overnight for us in the UK, and it felt like a fever dream waking up in the middle of the night and seeing all this drama occurring. Am I complaining? No, of course not, we love the drama here at Racket Report. Is Daniil Medvedev complaining though? Oh hell yeah.

Daniil Medvedev smashes hit racket at the end of the match against Benjamin Bonzi, US Open 2025

Raducanu’s Rapid Win

On a more positive note, Brit Emma Raducanu recorded her first win in New York since her historic title run 4 years ago. She faced the Japanese player Ena Shibahara and absolutely stormed past her 6-1 6-2 in just 62 minutes, her fastest ever professional win and the first win of the US Open 2025. Having the task of opening up Louis Armstrong Stadium is not easy, it must be nerve wracking having the responsibility of entertaining from the off so heavy on your shoulders. But Emma really had nothing to worry about; she cruised through. Shibahara posed no real threat and hit 36 unforced errors compared to Emma’s 6, but even so, Raducanu hasn’t always made it through these easy matches - so good for her. Steps in the right direction! She faces another qualifier in Indonesian Janice Tjen next. I know nothing about Tjen, aside from the fact she is the first Indonesian player to record a singles win at a grand slam in 22 years, so it sounds like an interesting watch. Emma is by far the match favourite, so it will be interesting to see how that affects her. 

Emma Raducanu serves in her round 1 match against Shibahara, US Open 2025

Oh dear Carlos, what happened to your hair?

The most devastating news of all could be Carlos Alcaraz’s haircut. We are all mourning the loss of those luscious locks - but give it until the end of the tournament and with how quickly his hair grows it will be back to normal. The story goes that Alcaraz's brother made a mistake with the clipper guard and the only solution was to go full buzzcut. This is clearly the most important story of the tournament so far, so of course we will keep tabs on it closely. Stay tuned for another update folks #toptierjournalism.

Carlos Alcaraz debuts his new haircut, US Open 2025

Anything else?

Other notable moments include Madison Keys, defending Australian Open champion and sixth seed, losing in three sets to Renata Zarazua. Top seeds Sabalenka and Sinner sailed through their matches, and other top players Swiatek and Zverev also made it through unscathed. Coco Gauff snuck through on day 3 after a marathon battle with Tomlijanovic which lasted just shy of three hours, and she will have to up her game or she may not be in the tournament much longer. Young Canadian Mboko was knocked out in her first round match by Krejcikova, and it appears the wrist injury she sustained in Montreal was bothering her. Definitely worth keeping an eye on that going forwards - we know how tricky wrist injuries can be. Other youngsters Joao Fonseca made it through against Kecmanovic in straight sets, and 17 year old Iva Jovic also came through in straights against Sasnovich.

Joao Fonseca in his round 1 match, US Open 2025

Key match-ups in round 2:

Iva Jovic v Jasmine Paolini (7)

McCartney Kessler (32) v Marketa Vondrousova

Jelena Ostapenko (25) v Taylor Townsend

Hailey Baptiste v Naomi Osaka (23)

Joao Fonseca v Tomas Machac (21)

Mattia Bellucci v Carlos Alcaraz (2)

Flavio Cobolli (24) v Jenson Brooksby

Cam Norrie v Francisco Comesana

Round 2 begins later on today, and this is where things really get going for me in a grand slam. I love the first couple of days of a slam, but they can feel chaotic, and round two feels like the time where the ‘dead weight’ has been kicked to the curb and we start seeing who is really settled and playing good tennis - that sounds brutal I know, but tell me I’m wrong!

Until next time, keep serving!

E x