Portugal Colonial - Top-seeded Zverev opens US Open campaign

Germany's Zverev led Dominic Thiem by two sets to love in the 2020 US Open final and came away empty-handed. It would be six years before he finally hoisted a major trophy at Roland Garros.

"I still feel like I should have won in 2020, that doesn't change," Zverev said as he looked forward to his first-round clash with Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.

Women's Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, closing in on Aryna Sabalenka's number one world ranking, fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff and rising Philippines star Alexandra Eala are also in action as the first round concludes on Tuesday.

AFP Sport looks at three matches to watch on Day 3 of the US Open:

Alexander Zverev (GER x1) v Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)

Zverev leads head to head 6-0

-- Zverev followed up his maiden Grand Slam triumph at Roland Garros with a run to the final at Wimbledon, but the German's results in the build-up to the US Open have been lackluster. He lost his opening match at the Montreal Masters and fell in the fourth round in Cincinnati.

A meeting with 89th-ranked Sonego, who has lost all six prior encounters with the German, could be just what Zverev needs.

"I definitely feel like my game has been coming back, and it's been better and better every practice session that I've had," Zverev said "I hope I can show my best tennis here again."

Zeynep Sonmez (TUR) v Coco Gauff (USA x4)

First meeting

-- Gauff won the first of her two Grand Slam titles at the 2023 US Open and she arrives at Flushing Meadows with high hopes of another strong run. The 23-year-old American is coming off a WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati, her first title since last October in Wuhan.

It's a far cry from 2025, when Gauff's service struggles prompted her make a coaching change just days before the tournament.

Her experience and hard-hitting game make her a heavy favorite against the 53rd-ranked Sonmez of Turkey, who claimed her only WTA title to date in Merida in 2024.

Mary Stoiana (USA) v Alexandra Eala (PHI x17)

Eala leads head to head 1-0

-- Eala's second appearance in the US Open main draw follows her first WTA title in Washington this month that cemented. The 21-year-old was already a global phenomenon, and Louis Armstrong Stadium promises to be packed with vocal Filipino fans that have become a staple at all of her matches.

But there should be plenty of support for Stoiana, a qualifier ranked 122nd in the world. Stoiana is a former US collegiate number one who led Texas A&M to the NCAA title in 2024 and will be eager to make an impression in her first meeting with a top 20 player.

E.Borba--PC