Russian qualifier upsets former champion Stephens

The American, who triumphed here in 2017, fought off two match points but was caught out of position behind the baseline on the third when the Russian ripped a backhand that clipped the net chord and landed in. “I was playing one good point, one bad point, one good point. The inconsistency doesn’t help me at all,” said Stephens.

“She did a good job just staying there, kept fighting. She never really let me in. Kudos to her. She executed her game really well.” Kalinskaya, playing her first career Grand Slam night match, did not appear intimidated facing Stephens, whose US Open tune-up included a run to the last 16 in Cincinnati.

The 20-year-old, who won three qualifying matches to make it to the main draw, broke Stephens at her first opportunity to pull ahead 5-3 in the first set. The Russian never looked back as she went on to secure the biggest win of her young career.

Halep ends string offirst-round losses

Wimbledon champion Simona Halep (Romania) snapped a string of early US Open exits with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over American lucky loser Nicole Gibbs.

The fourth seed, who fell at the first hurdle in New York the last two years, looked to be heading for yet another early exit but came out firing after losing the second set to Gibbs. “She started to play much better in the second set. My energy was a bit lower, so I was dominated at that time,” Halep said in her on-court interview.

Gauff lives up to the hype

Teen sensation Cori “Coco” Gauff lived up to the hype surrounding her US Open debut, battling back to beat Anastasia Potapova 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a back-and-forth thriller.

The outlook appeared bleak for the 15-year-old American when she was broken at the start of the second set. But, Gauff broke back in the next game to seize the momentum and ultimately level the contest in front of a supportive crowd.

The hard-hitting Potapova, despite needing medical attention to her shoulder, refused to go down without a fight and Gauff had to earn her place in the second round.