4 shocking results from US Open 2025 Day 1 ft. Daniil Medvedev, Clara Tauson

The US Open 2025 got underway on Sunday, August 24. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her title defense with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Rebeka Masarova. Novak Djokovic launched his bid for a historic 25th Major title with a 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over Learner Tien.

Seeded players Ben Shelton, Leylah Fernandez, Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz all advanced in straight sets as well. Emma Raducanu, who won the title here as a qualifier in 2021, registered her first win in New York since her memorable run by beating Ena Shibahara in her opener.

30th seed Brandon Nakashima avoided an upset after going down two sets to one against qualifier Jesper de Jong, sneaking past him in a fifth-set tie-break. While the first day of the tournament was light on upsets, there were still a few casualties. On that note, here are the four most shocking results from Day 1 of the US Open 2025:

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#1. Clara Tauson

14th seed Clara Tauson received a tough first-round assignment at the US Open 2025. She drew rising young star Alexandra Eala in her opener, who had beaten the likes of Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek earlier this year.

Eala inched closer to another big win after claiming the opening set of their showdown. However, Tauson stormed back to take the next set to keep herself in contention. It looked like the Dane would avoid the upset after going 5-1 up in the third set.

It was Eala's turn to stage a fightback from this point on. She stopped Tauson from serving out the match twice and managed to get back on serve. She held a match point on her opponent's serve at 6-5 but the latter fended it off to force a tie-break.

The tie-break was an intense affair. Eala went 8-4 up, only for Tauson to bag the next four points. The teenager remained one step ahead of her older rival after that but wasted another three match points. She finally got the job done on her fifth match point to wrap up a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11) win.

Eala thus became the first player from the Philippines to win a main draw singles match at a Major. As for Tauson, this was a disappointing loss after making the fourth round of Wimbledon a few weeks ago.

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#2. Tallon Griekspoor

Tallon Griekspoor at the US Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

29th seed Tallon Griekspoor was the first seeded player to be eliminated on the men's side, going down 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 to Adrian Mannarino. The Dutch player arrived at the US Open on a four-match losing streak, and continued his losing skid with another loss.

Mannarino had a 8-10 heading into the season's final Major, though he had recently beaten two top 25 players at the Cincinnati Open. His underwhelming season offered Griekspoor a chance of turning around his own season after a recent downturn in results.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Griekspoor. The Frenchman, meanwhile, will be pleased with his recent uptick in form, and will face Jordan Thompson in the second round.

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#3. Daniil Medvedev

13th seed Daniil Medvedev's season just went from bad to worse with a first-round exit from the US Open, going down to Benjamin Bonzi in a drama-filled match. The Russian found himself on the backfoot after dropping the first couple of sets. He was on level terms with his opponent in the third set, until he got broken in the ninth game of the set.

With Bonzi serving for one of the biggest wins of his life, things got complicated. A first serve from him hit the net but the chair umpire granted him another first serve after he spotted a cameraman moving around the court. This irked Medvedev, who felt the cameraman didn't interfere at all. He argued with the umpire for five minutes and egged on the crowd as well.

After this delay, Medvedev managed to break Bonzi's serve and eventually claimed the set in a tie-break. He handed a bagel in the fourth set, making his comeback seem imminent. However, Bonzi regrouped in the decider, breaking the Russian's serve while he served to stay in the match for a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 win.

This marked Medvedev's third consecutive first-round exit from a Major. His only Grand Slam win this year came at the Australian Open, and even there he lost in the second round. This has been a remarkable fall from grace for him, especially since he won his maiden Major title at the US Open four years ago.

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#4. Veronika Kudermetova

Veronika Kudermetova at the US Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

24th seed Veronika Kudermetova was upset by qualifier Janice Tjen in the first round. The latter was the first player from Indonesia in the main draw of a Major since compatriot Angelique Widjaja at the US Open 2004.

Kudermetova recently made the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open, so she was in fine form. However, Tjen was never really overwhelmed either by her opponent or the occasion. She initially squandered her break advantage in the first set, only to break back immediately. She kept a tight leash on her lead this time to claim the set.

Tjen was up a break in the second set as well, though Kudermetova's experience helped her turn things around. The match entered a deciding set, and the Indonesian youngster edged out the veteran to win the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. She thus made a winning debut at the Majors, and also became the first player from her country to win a Grand Slam match in 22 years. She will next take on former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

Kudermetova, meanwhile, suffered another first-round exit in the Big Apple. Aside from her fourth-round finish in 2022, she has never crossed the first hurdle here. However, there will be at least one representative from the Kudermetova clan in the second round. Her younger sister, Polina, advanced to the second round after her opponent Nuria Parrizas Diaz retired minutes into their first-round match.