Rain that began overnight Monday delayed play on the outer courts at the US Open in New York, confining early action to the two stadiums with retractable roofs, as fifth seed Flavio Cobolli recovered from two sets down to defeat Francisco Comesaña 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and Madison Keys defeated Alina Korneeva 7-5, 6-4 in the opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Cobolli, Keys and Rybakina advance at rain-disrupted US Open first round
Rain that began overnight Monday delayed play on the outer courts at the US Open in New York, confining early action to the two stadiums with retractable roofs, as fifth seed Flavio Cobolli recovered from two sets down to defeat Francisco Comesaña 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and Madison Keys defeated Alina Korneeva 7-5, 6-4 in the opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Cobolli's match against Comesaña lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes, according to ABC News Australia, and represented what the Guardian described as one of the best comebacks of the Italian's career. Cobolli said he used a bathroom break after the second set to change his entire outfit, crediting the switch with turning his performance around. 'In grand slams it's never done. You have to fight until the last point,' he said.
The comeback was Cobolli's first career two-set recovery, and it kept him from joining fourth seed Novak Djokovic and 10th seed Arthur Fils as early men's draw eliminations in a field already missing top-ranked Jannik Sinner due to injury, according to ABC News Australia.
Keys's straight-sets win over 19-year-old Korneeva marked her 15th US Open appearance, according to the Guardian, which also noted she turned professional on her 14th birthday in February 2009 and won the 2025 Australian Open singles title. Keys described palpable tension in the locker room in the days leading up to first-round matches. 'Everyone gets here, you have a week, everyone is excited to be here, and then as the days are slowly getting closer to first rounds, rackets are maybe getting a little slippery,' she said.
ABC News Australia noted that Keys was the 2017 US Open runner-up and had been eliminated in the first round last year at Flushing Meadows. The Guardian added that last year's loss came against world No 82 Renata Zarazúa.
Elena Rybakina defeated 17-year-old American wildcard Thea Frodin 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the second round. The Guardian reported that Rybakina currently sits at No 1 in the live rankings and would become world No 1 for the first time in her career if she reaches the semi-finals and if Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff do not win the tournament. The Guardian also noted that Rybakina had sustained a foot injury at the Cincinnati Open that forced her to retire from her quarter-final against Iga Swiatek.
ABC News Australia noted that Frodin served as the body double for actor Demi Singleton, who played Serena Williams in the 2021 film King Richard. Ninth seed Taylor Fritz, the 2024 finalist, also won his first-round match 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 over 18-year-old fellow American Darwin Blanch, according to ABC News Australia.
According to ABC News Australia, Coco Gauff, 17th seed Alex Eala, and men's first seed Alexander Zverev were scheduled to play later on the final night of first-round matches.
- Rybakina's own comments or reaction to her win and her fitness following her Cincinnati foot injury are not quoted in either source.
- Francisco Comesaña's response to the loss is not included in either source.
- Results or comments from the later matches involving Gauff, Eala, and Zverev, scheduled for the final night of first-round play, are not covered.
- The precise forecast for how long rain disruption may continue and its full scheduling impact is not established beyond a general reference to 'a couple of days.'
- ABC News Australia — original
- The Guardian US — by Tumaini Carayol at Flushing Meadows
Read the original at ABC News Australia