The last two U.S. Open women’s singles champions were sent packing in the first round of the season’s last major tournament on Tuesday in New York.
France’s Alize Cornet eliminated reigning champion Emma Raducanu of Great Britain, the 11th seed, 6-3, 6-3. Then in late-night action, 19th-seeded Danielle Collins of the United States topped Japan’s Naomi Osaka, the 2018 and 2020 U.S. Open champ, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
The reigning Wimbledon champion fell, too, as Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan lost to French qualifier Clara Burel 6-4, 6-4.
Cornet overcame nine double faults to extend Raducanu’s disappointing year since her New York triumph. Raducanu, 19, lost in the second round of the previous three Grand Slam events in 2022 before the first-round exit on Tuesday.
Raducanu said postmatch, “In a way, the target will be off my back slightly (now). I just have another chance to claw my way back up there. I’ve been doing some really good work in the last six weeks especially. Just looking forward to kind of putting more of those weeks together consistently, then we’ll see what happens.”
Cornet, 32, said, “I saw that I’ve beaten a Grand Slam champion in every Slam this year. I think it’s crazy. It’s kind of cool. These players that I’m admiring, that I have been following for a long time, knowing I’m part of this world, that I can beat them on a Slam, I don’t know, I still feel like a kid sometimes.”
Collins, 28, entered the night with an 0-3 career record against Osaka, including a 6-2, 6-1 rout at Miami in March.
“When you lose to someone three times, you get a lot of information on what you can do better,” Collins said on court following the win. “I just wanted to give myself the best shot to try to make some improvements to do better than I did the last time and the time before. With Naomi being the player she is, she definitely whupped me the last time.
“I just had to go out and kind of learn from that and make adjustments. And I think overall I did that. … I just kind of tried to go for it and hoped for the best.”
Osaka reached the final in Miami, her only title-round appearance of the year. Since then, her season has been beyond disappointing: In six events, she has lost in the second round twice and in the first round four times.
Burel, ranked No. 131 in the world, nearly was eliminated in qualifying over the weekend but was sharper than the 25th-seeded Rybakina while posting the major upset in her second career U.S. Open match.
Burel, 21, saved eight of nine break points and hit 17 winners against 25 unforced errors while earning a second-round match against Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck.
Rybakina committed a whopping 37 unforced errors against 19 winners. The Kazakh didn’t convert any of three break-point opportunities.
It was a major disappointment for Rybakina after she beat Ons Jabeur for her first Grand Slam title less than two months ago.
In another stunner, Van Uytvanck won a first-round match at the U.S. Open for just the second time in nine attempts as she knocked off Venus Williams 6-1, 7-6 (5).
Van Uytvanck hit 29 winners against 26 unforced errors while beating the 42-year-old Williams.
“It’s always an honor to play a legend,” Van Uytvanck said afterward. “She means so much to female’s tennis — tennis in general — and I was so happy to play her for the first time on Arthur Ashe.
“I really enjoyed it. I had goose bumps when I came onto the court and I’m happy with my performance. I tried to stay focused on my own game.”
Williams hit 18 winners and made 25 unforced errors.
“I think this is some of the best tennis she has ever played,” Williams said of Van Uytvanck. “Her level was really incredible today so credit to her.”
Meanwhile, top-seeded Iga Swiatek cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Jasmine Paolini of Italy. Swiatek held a 14-5 edge in winners.
Swiatek will face Sloane Stephens in the second round. Stephens defeated Belgium’s Greet Minnen 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Fourth-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.
No. 6 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus rolled to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Catherine Harrison.
Eighth-seeded Jessica Pegula cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic, while No. 9 Garbine Muguruza of Spain beat Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Swiss Belinda Bencic, the 13th seed, was a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. China’s Qinwen Zheng knocked off No. 16 seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
No. 21 seed Czech Petra Kvitova beat Russian Erika Andreeva 7-6 (3), 6-0, while another Czech, 22nd-seeded Karolina Pliskova outlasted Poland’s Magda Linette 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (8).
Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka, the 26th seed, advanced, while 24th-seeded Amanda Anisimova of the United States and 32nd-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium lost.
–Field Level Media
