Jannik Sinner won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. [Getty Images]
Jannik Sinner, the top seed at the U.S. Open, avoided an unexpected first-round elimination with an upset victory over American Mackenzie McDonald.
The Italian was playing his first match since being cleared of any wrongdoing after twice testing positive for banned substances earlier this year.
Sinner, whose coach said the investigation had left him “physically and mentally” exhausted, got off to a slow start at Arthur Ashe Stadium and then lost a set before exiting the match.
But he found his footing midway through the second set and it was all good from there for the 23-year-old.
Sinner said the overall reaction to the news that he had tested positive for a banned substance twice was “not bad.”
“I think the reaction from the fans has been fantastic. There has been so much support throughout practice ever since the news was announced. I’m very happy and pleased,” Sinner told a press conference.
Asked about other players’ reactions, he said: “I can’t control how the players react. If I have something to say to anybody, I’ll go there personally because that’s the kind of person I am.”
Earlier, 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas lost in the first round to Thanasi Kokkinakis, suffering an early exit from the US Open for the seventh consecutive year.
Sinner picks up steam after slow start
Sinner lost serve three times in the first set and made 14 unforced errors to McDonald’s six.
But after being a break down in the second set, he fought back quickly, winning seven of the next 13 points to take control of the match as McDonald’s confidence wavered.
The world number 140 looked to be in danger of conceding the “golden set” – winning a set without losing a point – when Sinner went up 4-0 in the fourth set.
But MacDonald secured two serve holds to delay the inevitable ending, with Sinner serving for the win after two hours and 24 minutes.
“It wasn’t the best start but the first game in any major tournament is never easy,” Sinner said.
“I just tried to stay in that place mentally and get in a rhythm, and I did at some point in the second set and then just tried to keep going with it, so I’m just happy to be in the next round.”
Tsitsipas’ US Open struggles continue
Stefanos Tsitsipas was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open. [Getty Images]
The Greek player has lost in the first round all three times in New York and has never made it past the third round.
He again struggled for consistency and lost 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Australian Kokkinakis, ranked 86th in the world.
Tsitsipas was the highest-ranked player to lose in the men’s portion of the first two-day draw at Flushing Meadows.
This year has been mixed for Tsitsipas, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, but his best major result was reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open.
He ended his coaching partnership with his father ahead of the U.S. Open after criticizing his father’s coaching tactics following his recent loss at the Cincinnati Open.
But Tsitsipas had his chances against Kokkinakis, surviving a 40-0 lead after surviving a 3-4 deficit in the third set before being broken and then easily broken at 5-5 in the fourth.
In a match that lasted nearly four hours, Tsitsipas converted just three of 10 break point opportunities while Kokkinakis converted four of eight.
Kokkinakis, who has only made it to the second round once in his previous five attempts in New York, will next face either Portugal’s Nuno Borges or Argentina’s Federico Coria.
Canadian 19th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime also crashed out in the first round after being beaten 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 by Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.
But seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz, continuing his comeback from knee surgery, beat Timofey Skatov of Kazakhstan 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3).
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz will begin their U.S. Open campaigns later on Tuesday.
Fifth seed and 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev will also play in the second day’s matches.
