Source: Al Bello / Getty
and now she’s returning to Queens to repeat.
But she’s far from alone. Many other American tennis players arrived as well and are also ready to dominate the competition.
It started with Atlanta native Ben Shelton getting the Americans off to a good start by beating Austrian Dominic Thiem easily in the opening round, winning in three sets.
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Though the win seemed easier for Shelton, Thiem is a former 2020 Open champion and was ranked as high as third in singles by the ATP. He’s even retiring at the end of the year, so it’s even more impressive that, with his career coming to an end, Shelton was able to win relatively easily.
“Yeah, I think it’s really cool,” Shelton said after the victory. “Obviously it wasn’t just me. I was playing against a former champion who’s ended up [playing] his last match here at the Open.”
Next up was Gauff, who’s coming off a disappointing early exit from the
Paris Olympics but seemed to return to form. As the No. 3 seed, her first day on the court was a breeze as she beat France’s Varvara Gracheva on Monday, 6-2, 6-0.
While at the Louis Armstrong Stadium,
Frances Tiafoe fought hard against
Aleksandar Kovacevic and eventually came out on top in a tight four-set match. However, America won that match whichever way the ball landed because Kovacevic is a New York native.
Also on the men’s side was American Taylor Fritz who, despite a close first set, beat Argentine’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
That was followed by San Diego’s own Brandon Nakashima beating Danish Holger Rune –who’s ranked 13th in the world– in straight sets.
Gauff is joined by a bunch of other talented ladies, like Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend—who both won in straight sets on Day 1—and 16-year-old phenom Iva Jovic, who are all poised to dominate the next round.
See social media’s early reactions to the competition below.
