The shocks have already started at the US Open as 23-time grand slam champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest exit at a major in 20 years, losing in the first round.

The Serb broke down in tears as he fell in five sets to Mariano Navone, in a match where he physically struggled with the heat and humidity and threw up several times.

The defeat – his first time losing in the opening round of a slam since the Australian Open in 2006 – brings an abrupt end to his quest for a 25th major title.

Elsewhere on the opening day 29th seed Cameron Norrie was the first of the Brits to make a tame exit, losing in four sets to France Lucas Van Assche, but there were wins for former US Open finalist and third seed Jessica Pegula as well as men’s seventh seed Daniil Medvedev.

Follow the top players’ progress with our seed tracker here:

Men’s seeds

Women’s seeds

Cameron Norrie will have to console himself with a win at a padel tournament after his miserable summer at the grand slams ended in another first-round defeat.

Norrie, who did not make it past the opening round at the French Open or Wimbledon, was dumped out of the US Open by unheralded Frenchman Luca Van Assche.

It was a sorry Sunday for the 31-year-old, who woke up to find he had been overtaken as British number one by Arthur Fery following his run to the Winston-Salem final.

Norrie revealed beforehand that he won a padel competition among his friends while on his stag do in Ibiza last month. It turns out that was the only victory he could savour after slipping to a 6-7 (6) 6-2 6-2 6-3 defeat.

Norrie pointedly shouted ‘allez’ on his way to securing a grind of a first set on a tie-break.

Whether that wound up Van Assche is unclear but the 22-year-old made no such mistake in the second to haul himself level.

Norrie, the 29th seed, then found himself in a New York nightmare as the match quickly got away from him.

“It was really tough,” he said. “I was pretty nervous and it showed in the beginning of the first set, and I did well to steal that first set.

“But I could never really maintain a good level of energy and momentum, and I’d play well for a little bit and then drop off a couple of games here and there.

“So that was super frustrating and pretty surprising. I felt like I lost to myself today.”

There was better news for Britain elsewhere as Toby Samuel, who came through qualifying having been a set down in each of those three matches, recorded his first ever grand slam main-draw win.

The 23-year-old beat the out-of-form Czech Tomas Mahac 6-2 6-3 6-2 in a little over 90 minutes.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It means everything to me. It’s what I dreamt of as a kid watching these big tournaments. Being able to win my first Grand Slam match is unbelievable.”

in the women’s draw Katie Boulter came through a tough match against American wild card Carol Young Suh Lee.

British number one Boulter, 30, looked to be cruising through at a set and a break ahead, only for some costly double-faults to let Lee back in.

However, Boulter, cheered on by new husband Alex De Minaur, gathered herself on a noisy, partisan Court Five to win 6-4 3-6 6-0.

“You know, I expected a battle in the first round,” said Boulter. “I don’t think that there’s any match out here that’s straightforward, really.

“I think I did well to get over the line in the first set, and then I think I changed a couple of things that actually made a huge difference in the third. So I was really pleased with that in the third set.”

A tricky assignment could await in round two with a potential tie against this year’s Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova.

British number four Jacob Fearnley was a break down in the first set against Spain’s Martin Landaluce when play was suspended for rain.

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Carlos Alcaraz vs Roman Safiullin

Date: August 31, 2026

Tournament: US Open Tennis Championships

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hard

Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Queens, New York City

Prize Money: $108,000,000

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN

Carlos Alcaraz vs Roman Safiullin preview

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz will face off against unseeded Roman Safiullin in the first round of the 2026 US Open on Monday.

Alcaraz enters this one having not played a singles match since April, sidelined for four months by a right wrist injury sustained in Barcelona. He tested things out in mixed doubles with Serena Williams earlier this week, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, and he arrives as the No. 2 seed and defending champion, looking rusty but dangerous. It’s uncharted territory for him at a Major, having never entered a Grand Slam with this little match play behind him in his career so far.

Meanwhile, Safiullin enters off a 6-7(6), 6-4, 3-6 first-round loss to Hugo Grenier in Winston-Salem, though it followed a genuinely strong summer that included a run to the Wimbledon fourth round, upsetting Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca along the way before falling to Novak Djokovic in four sets. He’s shown he’s not afraid of the occasion against elite names, a trait that could serve him well walking into Arthur Ashe Stadium against the defending champion.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Roman Safiullin head-to-head

Their head-to-head is level at 1-1, with Safiullin’s win coming at the 2023 Paris Masters, and Alcaraz avenging that loss the following year at the Paris Olympics.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Roman Safiullin odds

(Odds via BetMGM)

Carlos Alcaraz vs Roman Safiullin prediction

Alcaraz’s talent ceiling remains far above Safiullin’s on paper, the defending champion here whose game, when sharp, has few real weaknesses. But four months away from competitive singles is a genuine unknown, and Grand Slam matches, especially best-of-five, tend to punish any lingering timing or footwork issues in the early sets more than shorter formats would.

Safiullin’s recent numbers back up just how real his summer form has been, not just the results. His Wimbledon run included winning 83% of first-serve points against Rublev and outpointing Fonseca 105 to 81 in a clean straight-sets win, both matches built on tight, disciplined serving paired with disruptive return games. That combination, minimizing free points on serve while creating real pressure on return, is exactly the kind of profile that can trouble a player still finding his footing after a long layoff.

Their head-to-head is split evenly too, and it’s worth noting Safiullin’s win came when Alcaraz was fully fit and ranked No. 2 in the world, so this isn’t a case of him needing an off-night from the Spaniard to have a chance. Still, even a rusty Alcaraz carries more raw shot-making upside than almost anyone in the draw, and the extra two sets of a Slam format give him more room to adjust if the start is shaky.

Pick: Alcaraz to win in four sets.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Roman Safiullin betting tips

Tip 1: The match will have at least 35 games.

Tip 2: Safiullin to win a set with a score of 6-4 or better.