Madison Keys defeated Alina Korneeva 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the 2026 US Open on September 1, moving into the tournament's second round in New York [1, 2, 3]. Keys improved her first-serve percentage from 48% in the first set to nearly 70% in the second, helping secure her victory [1, 2]. Playing her 15th US Open after turning professional in 2009 and winning the 2025 Australian Open, Keys said, "It's so hard to play the first round of a Grand Slam. So nervous and wanting to do well. So grateful I was able to fight through that" [1, 3]. She will next face either Czech Lucie Havlickova or Hungarian Anna Bondar in the second round [1, 2].
Second-seeded Elena Rybakina overcame American 17-year-old Thea Frodin 6-3, 6-2 to advance as well [4, 5, 6]. The match lasted about 74 minutes, marking Frodin's first tour-level match and Grand Slam main draw debut. Frodin, who was a body double for young Serena Williams in the film King Richard, said she went out to "have a fun time" despite the tough first-round opponent [4, 7, 5, 8]. Rybakina, recovering from a left heel injury that forced her out of the Cincinnati tournament, appeared unimpaired. She commented, "She played really well today and she has great shots. It was not easy and I'm just happy to be here, playing here." Adding, "I'm happy with the match... overall I’m happy with the first match and how it went. It’s a great result after 10 days from that kind of injury" [4, 9, 10]. Rybakina will meet either Czech Darja Vidmanova or Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the next round [4, 5].
American Coco Gauff also advanced to round two with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Zeynep Sonmez [6, 10]. Gauff said, "I think I was just trying not to panic... I think I need matches like this to build my confidence" [10].
The tournament continues with more second-round matches scheduled over the next days. On September 4, third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was eliminated in the second round, saying, "I thought maybe it would pass, but it didn’t" [11].
