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Day 2 of the 2023 US Open saw the first round of the singles events come to an end. The likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula all booked their spots in the second round. Alcaraz won by a walkover when his opponent Dominik Koepfer retired in the second set due to an injury.
Medvedev thrashed Attila Balazs 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 while Sabalenka beat Maryna Zanevska 6-3, 6-2. Pegula, meanwhile, had little trouble beating Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-2. Other players who won on Day 2 at Flushing Meadows included Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Andy Murray, Ons Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina.
Venus Williams was knocked out in the first round, losing 6-1, 6-1 to Greet Minnen. A number of other players were knocked out as well and this included a few big names.
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On that note, let's take a look at the five biggest upsets from Day 2 of the 2023 US Open:
#1 Barbora Krejcikova losing to Lucia Bronzetti
Twelfth seed Barbora Krejcikova suffered a disappointing opening-round exit at the US Open. The Czech faced 76th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti, and the latter won the opening set 6-4.
The Italian cruised to a 4-0 lead in the second set before Krejcikova showed some resistance. The former World No. 2 managed to take the set to a tiebreak but Bronzetti won it 7-3 to book her place in the second round.
Krejcikova also lost in the first round of the French Open, thus making 2023 the first year where she suffered opening-round exits at more than one Grand Slam.
#2 Borna Coric losing to Sebastian Baez
Twenty-seventh seed Borna Coric was among the seeded casualties on Day 2 of the US Open. The Croat's opponent in the first round of the New York Major was Sebastian Baez, who beat him 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) in a thrilling semifinal at the Winston-Salem Open just a few days ago.
The first set of the match was tightly contested and was decided in the very last game when Baez broke serve to win 7-5. The Argentine made an early break in the second set but Coric broke back when he was serving for the set at 5-3.
Baez eventually broke the Croat in the final game to win 7-5 before taking the third set 6-1 to book his place in the second round of the US Open for the first time in his career.
Coric has now been eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam for the third time this season, having endured the same fate at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
#3 Caroline Garcia losing to Wang Yafan
Caroline Garcia reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at last year's US Open. This year, however, she bowed out in the first hurdle.
The French player faced Chinese qualifier Wang Yafan in the first round and found herself a break down early on. The solitary break was enough to see Wang claim the first set 6-4. The Chinese player was dominant in the second set and won it 6-1 to win her first Grand Slam match since the 2019 Australian Open.
Garcia had an outing to forget as she served six double faults and hit 34 unforced errors compared to only 18 winners. Her inability to defend her semifinal points from last year will see her suffer a drop in the WTA rankings. As of now, she will fall from seventh to 10th.
#4 Donna Vekic losing to Sachia Vickery
Borna Coric's Hopman Cup partner and women's 21st seed Donna Vekic endured a fate similar to his on Day 2 of the US Open.
Vekic faced American qualifier Sachia Vickery in the opening round and started the match strongly, claiming the opening set 6-2. The second set saw both players save a few break points before Vickery broke Vekic in the seventh game.
The Croat broke back to level the score at 5-5 but the American won the next two games to take the set and force the match into a decider. Vickery produced a strong performance in the third set, hitting 12 winners compared to just four unforced errors, and claimed it 6-2 to win her first Grand Slam match since the 2020 US Open.
Donna Vekic thus suffered an opening-round exit at the New York Major for the third successive year.
#5 Anastasia Potapova losing to Clara Tauson
Twenty-seventh seed Anastasia Potapova was also eliminated in the opening round of the US Open.
The Russian faced Clara Tauson in what was the very first meeting between the two. The opening set produced eight breaks of serve and went to a tiebreaker, which the Dane won 7-4. Potapova bounced in the second set, which had a further six service breaks, and claimed it 6-3 to level the match.
Tauson did well to break the Russian twice in the third set and won it 6-3 to reach the second round of the US Open, where she will take on Peyton Stearns.
