| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 August-10 September |
| Coverage: Daily live text and radio commentaries across the BBC Sport website, app, BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra |
Carlos Alcaraz had a short start to the defence of his US Open men’s title after German opponent Dominik Koepfer retired injured midway through their first-round match.
The 20-year-old Spaniard led 6-2 3-2 when Koepfer, who rolled his ankle minutes into the match, had to stop.
Third seed Daniil Medvedev needed just 74 minutes to cruise into round two with a dominant win over Attila Balazs.
The 2021 champion hit 41 winners as he beat the Hungarian 6-1 6-1 6-0.
Despite his brilliant win on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Russian said he “does not care” all the attention is firmly on top seed Alcaraz and 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic.
The emerging rivalry of top two seeds Alcaraz and Djokovic has dominated the build-up to the men’s event.
Alcaraz won the US Open last year in the absence of Djokovic, who was not allowed to enter the country because he was not vaccinated against Covid-19, and beat the Serb at Wimbledon last month to win his second major title.
Tough challenges will lie ahead for Alcaraz as he looks to retain his New York crown and it was more straightforward than he would have anticipated against the unfortunate Koepfer.
Koepfer, ranked 75th, went over on his ankle in the first game of the match, needing a medical timeout and gamely continuing for an hour before deciding it was best to stop.
“That’s not the best way to get through into another round, but I have to say on my side I was playing great,” said Alcaraz, who will play South Africa’s Lloyd Harris next.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to play such a great level in the first round.
“I am very, very happy with the level, even if Domi had to retire. Hopefully I can keep that level into the next round.”
Medvedev, 27, will play Christopher O’Connell for a spot in the last 32 after he won an all-Australian encounter against Max Purcell.
But Medvedev’s compatriot and 11th seed Karen Khachanov was upset 6-2 6-4 6-2 by American Michael Mmoh.
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