New York - 08/31

Good morning and welcome back to TIE-Breakfast: all the tennis you need for breakfast.

Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000s and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30am.

Today is Monday, August 31, it's 2:30am in New York and it's 21 degrees out. Ok, let's get started.

On today's menu

• 🇷🇸 Djokovic knocked out in the first round by Navone, snapping a 78-match win streak
• 🇮🇹 Paolini and Stefanini get through their openers, both into round two
• 🇷🇺 Medvedev off to a good start, surprise withdrawals for Ruud and Cilic
• 🇪🇸 Alcaraz returns to action today against Safiullin after his wrist injury
• 🇧🇾 Sabalenka and Osaka open their tournaments tonight on Ashe
• 🇮🇹 A busy day for the Italians: Berrettini-Wawrinka, Arnaldi, Darderi and Cocciaretto

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY:

🇷🇸 Djokovic Knocked Out By Navone

Novak Djokovic lost in the first round to Argentina's Mariano Navone 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, after four hours and thirty-six minutes on Ashe. Not since the 2006 Australian Open had the Serb gone out in the first round of a Slam, and his streak of 78 consecutive Major opening-round wins ended right here, with Djokovic visibly worn down physically in the closing stages of the match.

It's less the scoreline itself that stands out, even though it tells the story of a marathon match, and more the fatigue with which the four-time US Open champion made his way through the final set, looking almost like a different player from the one seen in the first two. It's not yet time to draw firm conclusions about what this means for the rest of his career, but a match like this, at 39 and on a court where he's won so many times, is unlikely to pass without leaving a mark on the season's narrative.

🇮🇹 Paolini And Stefanini, Positive Italian Openers

Jasmine Paolini, the No. 19 seed, got past Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in an hour and forty-five minutes, while Lucrezia Stefanini beat Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, reaching only the second Slam second round of her career after the 2023 Australian Open.

Two different paths to the same result: Paolini had to regroup after dropping a set, Stefanini built her match with more consistency down the stretch. What stands out, more than the individual scorelines, is the sense of an Italian women's group that no longer shows up at the US Open just to make up the numbers, and that will now face off against each other in a second-round derby.

🇷🇺 Medvedev Off To A Good Start, Ruud And Cilic Withdraw

Daniil Medvedev, the No. 7 seed, beat qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and fourteen minutes, immediately erasing the memory of last year's first-round exit. The day also brought two significant withdrawals: Casper Ruud pulled out with a back problem, the same issue that had stopped him in Cincinnati, while Marin Cilic, the 2014 champion, withdrew without specifying the injury, handing his spot to lucky loser Otto Virtanen.

More than Medvedev's win, which still carries its own weight for a man who has already lifted the trophy in New York, it's the two withdrawals that shift something in the men's draw. Ruud pulling out as a precaution, after already having to stop a match in Cincinnati, says something about how the second half of the season is becoming more a matter of managing his body than of form.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

• Alcaraz vs Safiullin - The defending champion returns to court for the first time since his April wrist injury: a comeback that means more than just a first round.
• Sabalenka vs Osorio and Osaka vs Zakharova - the two former champions open and close the evening session on Arthur Ashe, in a lineup that looks straightforward on paper but marks the real start of the women's tournament.
• Berrettini vs Wawrinka - on the Grandstand, a matchup between two careers that have crossed paths many times over the years, with the Italian looking for consistency after an up-and-down season.
• Arnaldi vs Duckworth and Darderi vs Wendelken - two first rounds that look manageable on paper for the Italians, with Arnaldi not before 7:00pm local time.
• Cocciaretto vs Siniakova - the day's fourth match on Court 6, against an experienced opponent who has often made life difficult for those who underestimate her at Slams.

Further reading

• US Open: Djokovic sfinito cede a Navone. È la fine di un'era?
• US Open: Medvedev parte bene, forfait Ruud e Cilic. Avanti Paul e Lehecka, Prizmic salva due match point
• 2026 US Open results: Novak Djokovic suffers first round upset to Mariano Navone while battling illness
• Daniil Medvedev makes classy US Open return, Tommy Paul wins
• US Open 2026: programma, orari e ordine di gioco di lunedì 31 agosto con Alcaraz e Berrettini in campo
• Paolini vince agli US Open, Erjavec ko in tre set. Risultato e prossima avversaria

Have a great breakfast and a great day.

See you tomorrow at 8:30am with TIE-Breakfast