The remaining opening round women’s matches were completed on Day 3 of the US Open. 2023 champion and crowd favorite Coco Gauff played Ajla Tomljanovic in the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin also featured.
US Open Day 3 Women’s Recap
Who Looked Good
Iga Swiatek continued her superb form since the grass court season against Emiliana Arango. She did not face a single break point in a crushing 6-1, 6-2 triumph against the Colombian. Arango fought admirably despite the final score, but her defensive style had little chance of success against Swiatek.
Naomi Osaka benefited from being clinical in her opening match against Greet Minnen. The two-time US Open champion took all six of her break point chances to prevail 6-3 6-4. The contest was tougher than the score suggests, and Minnen had her moments in both sets. Osaka must have been pleased to come through it in straight sets, setting up a meeting with Hailey Baptiste.
Amanda Anisimova also started solidly on Day 3 in New York. This year’s Wimbledon runner-up eased past Kimberly Birrell 6-3 6-2. The Americans’ overwhelming firepower proved too much for Birrell to handle despite her best efforts. Anisimova won 86% of points on her first serve and played well, but the uber-talented American can perform even better than she showed in this match.
Olympic Silver Medalist Donna Vekic got a morale-boosting victory against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The Croat has struggled this season after a career-best 2024, and looked set for more disappointment after losing the opening set. However, Vekic dug in to win a match filled with twists and turns 3-6 7-5 6-3. It could be the moment that ignites her faltering 2025.
Who Looked Bad
Danielle Collins had a truly dreadful day on Court 17. The 2024 champion in Miami constantly made unforced errors in a 2-6 0-6 drubbing at the hands of Jaqueline Cristian. Although a solid competitor, Cristian usually troubles top players most on clay. Losing to the Romanian so comprehensively was a shocking moment for Collins, and one that could take a while to get over.
26th seed Sofia Kenin crashed out to her compatriot, Ashlyn Krueger. The former Grand Slam winner could not build on taking the opening set 7-5. Krueger gradually asserted herself, and Kenin struggled to handle her opponent’s powerful hitting, especially in the third set. She exited the US Open after a 7-5 4-6 2-6 defeat.
Diana Shnaider was the other seeded casualty. The young star might have had high hopes for the US Open after winning last week’s tournament in Monterrey. Instead, Laura Siegemund sent her crashing back to earth with a 7-6 2-6 6-3 win. The veteran German reached the 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinal, and brought her best at the Grand Slam level again in the success against Shnaider.
Match of the day
Coco Gauff’s nearly three-hour battle with Ajla Tomljanovic was the most dramatic from Day 3. The world No. 3 got off to a slow start, being broken in the opening game. Gauff eventually turned around an opening set that contained several lengthy rallies between two women who played cautiously, taking it 6-4.
The second set was filled with momentum shifts. Gauff led 4-2, but got broken twice to trail 4-5. Tomljanovic then squandered two set points before being broken and losing the next game to love. Victory looked inevitable for Gauff when she was two points away at 6-5, 30-0, having won the previous eight points. Tomljanovic showed outstanding courage to hold serve from that position and take the tiebreak 7-2 to force a decider.
Fans on Arthur Ashe were treated to a nail-biting finale in the third set. After breaking twice and losing serve once, Gauff served for the match at 5-4. Her familiar second-serve issues, something she hired a new coach for ahead of the US Open, returned, and she hit two double faults before being broken. But the American No. 1 found a way in the end. A weary Tomljanovic made costly unforced errors in the final two games, confirming a 6-4 6-7 7-5 triumph for Gauff. Although she played below her best, grinding it out is a testament to the 2023 US Open winner’s fitness and fighting skills.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – Imagn Images
