US Open: Djokovic overcomes Tien in straight sets in opener, Alexandra Eala creates history for the Philippines

US Open: Alexandra Eala upsets Clara Tauson, creates history for the Philippines

NEW YORK — In his first competitive outing since Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic saw off a challenging opening-round test presented by Learner Tien to advance at the 2025 US Open.

Djokovic navigated fluctuations in his own physical level and held off the increasingly confident teenager to prevail, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2.

The 24-time- major winner called ATP physio Clay Sniteman to court after the second set to re-apply tape to a bloodied big toe on his right foot.

Earlier in the match he appeared to be troubled by a hip issue and also pulled his racquet behind his head on several occasions, perhaps in an attempt to suck in more oxygen, ATP reports.

Djokovic, looking for his first major title since winning his fourth US Open in 2023, will now have two days' rest before facing American qualifier Zachary Svajda on Wednesday.

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Trailing 0-40 in the sixth game, Djokovic escaped with a hold and was later forced to save a set point in the 10th game. He was struggling, but his famed fighting spirit and resilience were intact, helping him snare the ensuing tiebreak and an invaluable two-set lead.

Set two saw Djokovic’s unforced error count spike five times higher than set one, but after a medical timeout to treat a blister on his toe, he was flying again in the third. From an immediate break down, the seventh seed reeled off five straight games to take a stranglehold over the match, which he closed out in two hours, 25 minutes.

The Serb has not lost a Grand Slam first-round match since the 2006 Australian Open, almost 20 years ago.

He’s 75-0 at the opening-round stage since that loss at Melbourne Park to Paul Goldstein as a teenager, and now, at age 38, this latest win puts him a step closer to a fourth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal.

US Open: Alexandra Eala upsets Clara Tauson, creates history for the Philippines

Alexandra Eala became the first player from the Philippines in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam main-draw match with her first-round at the US Open.

The 2022 US Open junior girls’ singles champion and world No. 70 Eala came back from a double break in the third set to upset No. 14 seed Clara Tauson, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(11), and reach the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

On the Miami hard courts in the spring, the lefty—who at the time was ranked world No. 140—sent shockwaves through the tennis stratosphere when she defeated three Grand Slam champions in a row—Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek—to earn a semifinal berth at the event.

After trading holds through the first four games, she broke Tauson for a 3-2 lead in the opening set -- moments after the Dane complained to the chair umpire about crowd noise, prompting a warning to the spectators. When Eala extended her lead to 5-3, the umpire again asked fans to quiet down during points, WTA report

Eala closed out the first set, but Tauson quickly seized momentum in the second, breaking serve three times to force a decider.

Tauson raced to a 5-1 lead in the third and headed for victory. But Eala -- and the crowd -- roared back. She broke Tauson twice while the Dane was serving for the match, the second break coming after a double fault on break point.

The double fault immediately followed a video review confirming Eala had hit the ball on her side of the net to set up the break opportunity -- a ruling that left Tauson visibly frustrated.

Despite her frustration, Tauson saved a match point moments later to force a third-set tiebreak. She rallied from an 8-4-deficit and saved three more match points, but it wasn’t enough to stop Eala from securing her first Grand Slam main-draw win.