US Open Briefing - US Results: Frances Tiafoe carries the flag as the American contingent endures a rollercoaster day

Frances Tiafoe carried the American legion, which had a tough day at the US Open. The 17th seed stepped up on a day that saw several defeats for the local players, including Madison Keys and Venus Williams.

There wasn't much good news for the local players, considering the exits of Alycia Parks against Mirra Andreeva and Nishesh Basavareddy against Karen Khachanov, as well as the 16-year-old debutante Julieta Pareja, who was eliminated by 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

If there’s anyone who always has a special motivation playing at home, it's Frances Tiafoe, who had a great performance to secure a much-needed victory on a complicated day for the locals. The world No. 17 had only a 55% first-serve rate but was nearly flawless, winning 84% of those points in a straight-sets triumph over Yoshito Nishioka (No. 149).

The 17th seed, defending his 2024 semifinal run, debuted with an important win to fill himself with confidence. The American totaled 19 aces and broke his opponent four times, securing a straight-sets victory in which he only lost his serve on two occasions. Tiafoe was much more potent than his opponent, nearly doubling him in winners with 51 to the Japanese player's 26. The victory was 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-3, moving him to the second round of the tournament, where he will face his compatriot Martin Damm, who advanced through qualifying and is in the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

One of the young American prospects is 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy, who is in his first year on the ATP Tour, slowly beginning to make a name for himself at the top level. At the beginning of the year, he managed to take a set from Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Australian Open, making his name known to the tennis world.

This time he faced Karen Khachanov—a recent finalist at the Canadian Open who came to the tournament with high expectations. The Russian showed his hierarchy, securing the victory 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5, 6-1, widely outplaying his American opponent, who entered the main draw with a wildcard. Khachanov—currently No. 9 in the ATP rankings—won 83% of his first-serve points and had a total of 19 aces, far more than the American's three. The Russian was also nearly flawless on key points, securing 7 breaks on 8 opportunities, while Basavareddy could only convert 2 on 10 opportunities. Khachanov advances to the second round, where he will face Poland's Kamil Majchrzak.

World No. 56 Alycia Parks was making her return to the US Open with good recent form and on one of the main stadiums, facing the 18-year-old star Mirra Andreeva at Louis Armstrong Stadium—the second most important at Flushing Meadows. The American was coming off a semifinal run at the Monterrey Open three days earlier—a tournament where she defeated the first seed, Emma Navarro—but she could not sustain the great level she showed in Mexico.

The 24-year-old could do little against an impressive Andreeva—who was returning to the courts after an injury—and the Russian ended with a 6-0, 6-1 victory in just 55 minutes. Andreeva won 80% of her service points and 63% of return points in a match that was practically a monologue in favor of the Russian teenager. Andreeva advances to the second round, where she will face her compatriot Anastasia Potapova.

Julieta Pareja—current world No. 335—was one of the names making her Grand Slam main draw debut and was drawn against Elena Rybakina for her first career match against a top-10 player. The 16-year-old showed some good moments of tennis in the first set, but she could not sustain the level needed to compete for too long with Rybakina, who ended up dominating and securing a 6-3, 6-0 victory.

The world No. 10 has had a good performance in the American hardcourt swing, reaching semifinals at the DC Open, Canadian Open, and Cincinnati, although always falling short of reaching the final. Nevertheless, consistency continues to pay off for the Kazakh, who has accumulated one of the most wins in the last month. Rybakina will face 17-year-old Tereza Valentova—another match against a teenager at the start of her Grand Slam campaign—just as she did at the Australian Open (wins over Emerson Jones and Iva Jovic) and French Open (victories over Julia Riera and Iva Jovic).