Summary
✓Reviewed by Laura Bennett Argentine qualifier Mariano Navone produced one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 tennis season on August 30, defeating former world number one Novak Djokovic 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a gruelling four-and-a-half-hour first-round battle...
Table of contents
- 1 Navone Outlasts Djokovic in Marathon Five-Setter
- 2 Day One Results at a Glance
- 3 Medvedev Advances After Difficult North American Swing
- 4 Krejcikova Out as Rakhimova Causes Women’s Draw Upset
- 5 Ruud and Cilic Withdraw Before First-Round Matches
- 6 Djokovic Defeat Reshapes the Men’s Draw
- 7 What to Watch in the Opening Week
- 8 Related Coverage
Argentine qualifier Mariano Navone produced one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 tennis season on August 30, defeating former world number one Novak Djokovic 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a gruelling four-and-a-half-hour first-round battle at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, eliminating the 24-time Grand Slam champion before the tournament’s second round for the first time in years.
Navone Outlasts Djokovic in Marathon Five-Setter
Navone, 24, controlled the momentum in the decisive fourth and fifth sets after the match appeared to be turning in Djokovic’s favour, winning 6-2, 6-1 to close out the victory. According to Reuters’ Day One report from Flushing Meadows, the Argentine was relentless in the final two sets, breaking down Djokovic’s serve repeatedly and denying the Serb any path back into the contest.
The match marked a significant moment in tennis history. Djokovic, 39, is seeded fourth in the 2026 US Open draw, which is headed by world number two Alexander Zverev and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Reporting from the Straits Times on August 31 noted that Djokovic had said before the tournament that he was prepared “as best I can be” for his 20th US Open campaign — a run that ended at the first hurdle.
Day One Results at a Glance
Djokovic’s shock exit headlined a busy opening day at Flushing Meadows. Several other prominent names advanced or stumbled in the men’s and women’s draws on August 30, 2026.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s Singles 1R | Mariano Navone | Novak Djokovic (4) | 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 |
| Men’s Singles 1R | Daniil Medvedev (7) | Hugo Gaston | 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 |
| Men’s Singles 1R | Kamil Majchrzak | Hamad Medjedovic | 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 |
| Women’s Singles 1R | Jessica Pegula (3) | Elena-Gabriela Ruse | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Women’s Singles 1R | Kamilla Rakhimova | Barbora Krejcikova (seed) | 7-6(4), 6-2 |
Sources: Reuters; Wikipedia Day-by-Day Summaries; Straits Times.
Medvedev Advances After Difficult North American Swing
Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, seeded seventh, made considerably smoother progress through his opening match, defeating Frenchman Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. The win provided Medvedev with some relief after a testing build-up to the season’s final Grand Slam. “Last couple of weeks was not easy,” Medvedev said in his post-match interview, according to ESPN’s match report. The Russian, a former Flushing Meadows champion, showed few signs of fatigue once on court, dispatching Gaston in straight sets.
American Jessica Pegula, the third seed and a crowd favourite on Arthur Ashe Stadium, also advanced confidently. Pegula defeated Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2, with her performance described as dominant and largely nerve-free. The Straits Times noted that Pegula had her top ranking in mind as she targeted a deep run at this year’s tournament.
Krejcikova Out as Rakhimova Causes Women’s Draw Upset
The women’s draw also produced a significant result on Day One. Defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded heading into the tournament, was eliminated by Russian qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6(4), 6-2, making Krejcikova the first seeded player to exit the 2026 US Open. Rakhimova’s aggressive baseline game proved too consistent for the Czech, who struggled to find her rhythm on the New York hard courts after her grass-court summer.
Ruud and Cilic Withdraw Before First-Round Matches
Two notable men’s players were forced to withdraw from the tournament on August 30 before their first-round matches could be played. Casper Ruud, the 19th seed and 2022 US Open finalist, pulled out after a back injury sustained during a practice session in New York failed to recover in time. “Unfortunately, my back hasn’t healed as quickly as we had hoped,” Ruud posted on Instagram, as reported by the Straits Times and confirmed by the ATP Tour’s official withdrawal notice. “We’ve been optimistic that I would recover in time, but my team and I have decided that I need more time to give my body what it needs.”
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic, 37, also withdrew due to an unspecified injury. Tournament organisers confirmed on their official X account: “Marin Cilic has withdrawn from Men’s Singles due to injury and is replaced by Lucky Loser Otto Virtanen,” according to reporting from the German news agency dpa. Finnish player Otto Virtanen entered the main draw as Cilic’s lucky loser replacement, while Arthur Gea inherited Ruud’s first-round berth. According to Tennis Majors, Ruud’s back injury was picked up during a training session in New York, with a practice session on the Thursday collapsing inside an hour.
Djokovic Defeat Reshapes the Men’s Draw
With Djokovic eliminated, the men’s draw opens considerably for the remaining contenders. Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, entered the tournament as one of the top seeds and will now have one fewer elite threat to navigate. Alcaraz’s section of the draw was described by multiple outlets as one of the more congested quarters heading into the event, but Djokovic’s exit removes a player widely considered capable of going deep at any Grand Slam regardless of his seeding.
Medvedev’s comfortable opening win also positions him well for a potential run. The Russian reached at least the third round at the US Open in several successive seasons and will be among the names to watch as the first week progresses. For fans following the tournament’s wider implications — particularly those tracking how last month’s Wimbledon seedings carry into the hard-court swing — Djokovic’s shock first-round exit will recalibrate expectations for the rest of the year-end ranking race.
What to Watch in the Opening Week
The 2026 US Open runs from August 30 to September 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Key storylines to follow across the opening week include:
- Whether Alcaraz can defend his title after Djokovic’s exit reshapes his potential path
- How Pegula builds on her commanding Day One win in front of home crowds on Arthur Ashe
- Navone’s second-round test — the Argentine must now prove his Djokovic scalp was no fluke
- The wider women’s draw following Krejcikova’s early exit and Ruud and Cilic’s enforced absences from the men’s competition
- Medvedev’s form recovery after his own admission that the “last couple of weeks was not easy”
For context on this year’s broader tennis calendar — including how this Grand Slam fits into the season’s overall picture — see our earlier coverage of Roger Federer’s Hall of Fame induction at Newport, a moment that bookended the summer’s nostalgic storylines heading into the hard-court major.
The 2026 US Open is the final Grand Slam of the season and carries significant weight for year-end rankings across both tours. With Djokovic already eliminated and two seeds withdrawn, the tournament’s second week is set to feature a more open field than many pre-tournament projections anticipated.
