Kamilla Rakhimova delivered the headline upset of Day 1 at the US Open 2026, dismissing No. 27 seed Barbora Krejickova in the women's singles first round at Flushing Meadows, New York, on 31 August. The result was the sole blemish on an otherwise orderly opening day for the seeds, with six of the seven seeded players in action advancing — five of them in straight sets.

Svitolina Sets the Tone on Armstrong

Elina Svitolina, the ninth seed, opened the tournament's first night session on Louis Armstrong Stadium with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Solana Sierra, wrapping up proceedings in just 52 minutes. The victory extended her Grand Slam record to 117 Major wins — the most by any Ukrainian player in the Open Era and the only Ukrainian to surpass the 100-win mark in Slam history. Svitolina is now 9-2 in her last 11 Grand Slam openers, underlining her consistency at the business end of the draw.

Kostyuk Surges, Paolini Survives

Marta Kostyuk, the No. 11 seed, continued her impressive Grand Slam form — she has reached back-to-back semifinals at the previous two Majors — with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Storm Hunter in 67 minutes on the Grandstand. Kostyuk dominated the closing stages, winning the final five games and seven of the last eight, finishing with eight aces and 22 winners against just 12 unforced errors. Her season record now stands at an impressive 33-8.

Jasmine Paolini's passage was considerably more turbulent. The No. 19 seed required 1 hour 46 minutes to see off Veronika Erjavec, eventually prevailing 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Stadium. A second-set lapse threatened to hand Erjavec an upset, but Paolini steadied, finishing with 36 winners to 27 unforced errors. Notably, Paolini reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals this summer after failing to advance past the fourth round at four consecutive Majors — the US Open remains the one Slam where she has yet to match that depth.

Pegula, Alexandrova and Fernandez Advance

Jessica Pegula joined the winning column alongside No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who dispatched McCartney Kessler 6-2, 6-2 in 66 minutes, and No. 31 seed Leylah Fernandez, who beat Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-2 in 75 minutes. All three were routine straight-sets victories that kept the seedings largely intact heading into the second round.

Pliskova's Comeback of the Day

The most dramatic match not involving an upset came from former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova. The unseeded Czech trailed Hanne Vandewinkel of Belgium by a set and 5-2 in the second, saving a match point before reeling off nine consecutive games to win 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 2 hours 30 minutes. Pliskova has now reached the second round at each of her last 10 US Open appearances — a run that includes one final and five quarterfinals.

Other First-Round Results

Donna Vekic beat Talia Gibson 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Katie Boulter defeated Carol Young Suh Lee 6-4, 3-6, 6-0; Wang Xinyu beat Emiliana Arango 6-4, 6-2; Taylah Preston downed Alycia Parks 6-3, 6-3; Polina Iatcenko beat Renata Zarazua 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7); Lucrezia Stefanini beat Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; and Lanlana Tararudee beat Elvina Kalieva 6-3, 6-7(4). Second-round action is expected to intensify as the draw tightens.