Lois Boisson's Racquet Smash Highlights US Open Drama as Sabalenka Dominates
Lois Boisson has spent the past year fighting her body, her form and the rankings. On day one of the US Open, the Frenchwoman finally lost her temper as well.
The 23-year-old, once a Roland Garros semifinalist and a rising name on the WTA Tour, exited in the first round in New York after a bruising three-set battle with American 26th seed Emma Navarro, 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-3. The scoreline only told half the story.
The moment that will loop around social media came at the end. Boisson, serving to stay alive, floated a tentative backhand slice into the net. Navarro had the win. Boisson had had enough.
She hurled her racquet to the court in disgust, stalked to the net for the handshake, then, as Navarro acknowledged the crowd, grabbed a second frame and obliterated it with three furious blows into the hard court before launching it away. The frustration of a brutal 12 months boiled over in a few violent seconds.
This time last year she looked set for a permanent stay in the top 50. She climbed as high as No. 34 in February, a remarkable ranking given she had not played a professional match between September 2025 and April due to injury. The comeback has not matched the promise. Early exits have piled up, confidence has drained and her ranking has slid all the way to 237.
New York brought no relief. A third straight first-round loss at a major this season cut deep, and the racquet paid the price.
Boisson now faces the task of stitching something positive out of a fractured season. Navarro, composed amid the chaos, moves on to a second-round clash against either fellow American Caty McNally or Dutch player Anouk Koevermans.
Sabalenka starts title defence with a statement
On the main stage, the defending champion wasted no time reminding the field who owns Arthur Ashe Stadium.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, chasing a third consecutive US Open crown, brushed aside Colombia’s Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-4 in the first match of the day on Ashe. It was clean, ruthless, and exactly what she needed after a patch of form that has seen her miss every final since March.
Sabalenka unloaded 32 winners, controlled the baseline and never allowed Osorio to settle. The result felt inevitable from early in the first set, her power and depth pinning the Colombian behind the baseline.
“I’m happy with my performance. She’s a tough opponent, makes you work really hard to get every point,” Sabalenka said on court. “So I’m happy that I was able to close the match in straight sets.”
She will face Russian Polina Iatcenko in the second round, with the top seed already looking ominously comfortable on the court she has made her own.
Men’s draw rocked again as Fils falls
If the women’s defending champion looked reassuringly familiar, the men’s draw continued to unravel.
A day after Novak Djokovic’s shock first-round exit ripped a hole through the top half, 10th seed Arthur Fils joined him on the way out. The Cincinnati champion, tipped by many as a danger man in New York, was stunned by Stefanos Tsitsipas on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Greek recovered from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-4, flipping the match in a tense second-set tiebreak and then running away with it as Fils faded. Once Tsitsipas levelled, his forehand loosened, his serve tightened, and the Frenchman could not stem the tide.
Tsitsipas, who has often searched for his best tennis at the majors, suddenly finds a path opening up in a draw missing a 24-time Grand Slam champion and now one of its form players. He will meet South Africa’s Lloyd Harris in the second round.
The scheduling experiment at Flushing Meadows also came into play. With the main draw expanded to 15 days in 2025, organisers leaned on the three-day first-round window after rain halted seven matches on the outside courts Sunday night. Those contests resumed on Monday, allowing the tournament to regain its rhythm despite the weather.
Muchova, Zheng and a smooth start for the chasing pack
While the headlines belonged to exits and explosions, several contenders went about their business with minimal fuss.
On the Grandstand, Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova opened her campaign with a brisk 6-3, 6-0 win over Austria’s Sinja Kraus. The Czech seventh seed barely gave Kraus a look in the second set, tightening her grip with aggressive returns and sharp court coverage. She next faces Britain’s Katie Boulter in a match that should offer a sterner examination of her form.
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen had to work harder. Forced to come through qualifying just two years after a quarterfinal run in New York, Zheng dropped the first set to Kristina Liutova before surging back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Once she found her range, her weight of shot told, and Liutova struggled to live with the shift in tempo.
Zheng’s route has been longer than she might have expected for a player of her pedigree, but the fight she showed on Monday hinted at a potential deep run from the shadows of the draw.
Anisimova celebrates with a birthday stroll
The day ended with a lighter touch on Louis Armstrong, where Amanda Anisimova turned her 25th birthday into a near-perfect outing.
Last year’s US Open runner-up needed just one hour and 12 minutes to dispatch fellow American Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3, delivering a composed, assured performance that never really allowed the match to breathe.
Anisimova faced early pressure, saving three break points to hold for 2-1 in the first set. From there she accelerated, ripping through the opener and keeping Krueger at arm’s length. The pair traded breaks at the start of the second set, but Anisimova quickly reasserted control and broke again in the final game to close it out.
“Ashlyn’s a great player so I knew it was going to be a tough match,” she said afterwards, moments before the crowd serenaded her with “Happy Birthday”.
She moves on to face Austrian Lilli Tagger in the second round, her game already tuned and her confidence intact.
On a day that saw racquets smashed, seeds scattered and champions steady themselves, the US Open wasted no time reminding everyone why it rarely does quiet.
