Sofia Kenin defeated fellow American Venus Williams 6-2, 7-6(6) in the women's singles first round of the 2026 US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York, extending Williams's run of early Grand Slam exits. The match, played on Monday (IST), lasted one hour and 48 minutes and saw Kenin save seven set points in the second set before clinching the final six points to seal victory.

Kenin's Grand Slam Pedigree on Show

Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, demonstrated the composure that has defined her Major career, recovering from pressure in the second set to close out a resilient win. Williams, who received a wild card into the main draw, was appearing at Flushing Meadows for the 26th time — a milestone that underscored the occasion even as the result disappointed. The victory sets up a second-round meeting for Kenin against No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula. Notably, the match followed Novak Djokovic's upset loss earlier on Arthur Ashe Stadium, making for a dramatic opening night at the year's final Grand Slam.

Day 1 Women's Seeds Largely Deliver

The women's draw largely followed form on Day 1 (Sunday), with seven seeded players in action and the seeds finishing the day 6-1. Elina Svitolina, the No. 9 seed, opened the tournament's first night session on Louis Armstrong Stadium with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 win over Solana Sierra in just 52 minutes. The Ukrainian's 117 Major wins are the most by any Ukrainian player in the Open Era — she is the only Ukrainian to have crossed the 100 Grand Slam victories mark in this period. Svitolina is now 9-2 in her last 11 Grand Slam openers.

Marta Kostyuk, the No. 11 seed, continued her impressive Major form with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Storm Hunter in 67 minutes on Grandstand. Kostyuk, who has reached consecutive Grand Slam semifinals, won the final five games — and seven of the last eight — finishing with eight aces, 22 winners, and just 12 unforced errors. She is now 33-8 on the season.

Paolini Survives a Scare

Jasmine Paolini, the No. 19 seed, needed 1 hour and 46 minutes to get past Veronika Erjavec, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Stadium. A second-set lapse threatened an upset, but Paolini steadied to finish with 36 winners against 27 unforced errors. This comes after Paolini reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals this summer — a stage she has yet to match at the US Open — having failed to reach the fourth round at four consecutive Majors before that run.

Other Notable Results

No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova beat McCartney Kessler 6-2, 6-2 in 66 minutes, while No. 31 seed Leylah Fernandez defeated Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-2 in 75 minutes. Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, unseeded but formidable, produced the comeback of the day — trailing Hanne Vandewinkel 6-2, 5-2 before winning nine straight games and saving a match point to prevail 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Pliskova has now reached the second round in each of her last 10 US Open appearances, a run that includes one final and five quarter-finals. The sole seeded casualty on Day 1 was No. 27 seed Barbora Krejickova, upset by Kamilla Rakhimova.

With the draw now in motion, attention turns to how Kenin handles Pegula in Round 2 and whether Kostyuk can sustain her deep-run momentum at a third consecutive Major.