Emma Navarro and Daniil Medvedev will be among the big names taking to the court on Day 1 of the 2025 US Open. The two will also be among the most keenly watched, given the strength of their opponents.
Underdogs seldom find a stage better than a Grand Slam to get a big win. And there are plenty of talented names that will be looking to make their presence felt in the draw. Here, we take a look at five such upset alerts from Day 1 of the 2025 US Open:
#1 Emma Navarro
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Up against a returning Wang Yafan, she will need to rediscover her footing quickly. Injuries have kept the Chinese player sidelined for a large part of this year, but she is a former top-50 player. She has picked up a few wins in the lead-up, beating the likes of Peyton Stearns and Rebeka Masarova in recent weeks.
Much like Navarro, she also enjoyed a career-best run at the US Open last year, making it to the fourth round. She enjoys playing on hardcourts, having lifted a title on the surface, and could push Navarro to the brink.
#2 Former US Open champ Daniil Medvedev
It will be deja vu for Daniil Medvedev, who finds himself up against Benjamin Bonzi for a second straight Slam. He will, however, be keen on reversing the drubbing that he faced in his opener at the All England Club.
To do that, though, the former US Open champion will need to put up better numbers than he has in recent outings. Playing in three tournaments since Wimbledon, he has posted an underwhelming 3-3 record to arrive in New York ranked outside the top-10.
Bonzi, meanwhile, will continue to take heart from his big upset win at Wimbledon. While his season has also been up-and-down, he is now headed back towards his career-high ranking of No. 42. A run to the fourth round in Cincinnati, where he beat big names including Lorenzo Musetti and Stefanos Tsitsipas, places him firmly among the list of dangerous floaters at this year’s US Open.
#3 McCartney Kessler
McCartney Kessler is no stranger to success on the American hardcourts. In fact, it was where she won her first career title at Cleveland last year. She has backed those results up with two more titles this season.
That said, the American finds herself up against a player who has had her own fair share of success on hardcourts. At No. 36, Magda Linette is one of the highest-ranked players to not be seeded at this year’s US Open.
Both Kessler and Linette have had similar lead-ups to the tournament. While the American beat top-10 player Mirra Andreeva en route to the fourth round at Montreal, Linette got her own top-10 scalp by beating Jessica Pegula to make the fourth round in Cincinnati.
Both women enjoy constructing points and using the court’s geometry to their advantage rather than relying on brute force. Therefore, fans can expect a battle royale between two players with extremely high tennis IQ.
#4 Jakub Mensik
Jakub Mensik was tipped for greater things after he lifted the Miami Open crown, with aplomb no less, back in March. He, however, has been unable to replicate that sort of form elsewhere since.
At one point, the Czech teenager even lost an opening-round match at a Challenger event. In the lead-up to the US Open, he played two tournaments but fell early at both.
Facing the seasoned Nicolas Jarry, the youngster will have his work cut out. The Chilean had arrived at Wimbledon completely lost, not even making the cut for the Grand Slam main draw. That said, a return to the quick conditions was just what the doctor had ordered for him as he would go on to reel off six wins (including qualifiers) to make the fourth round.
While Jarry has not won a match since Wimbledon, his big serve could be as potent a weapon on the New York hardcourts as it was on the All England Club grass. His opponent also likes to power his way through matches. An ace fest is on the cards, with the player managing to keep their error count in check, likely coming out on top.
#5 Clara Tauson
Clara Tauson is in the middle of a career-best season, having made her first WTA 1000 final and lifted a title in Auckland. She also recently beat 2025 Slam winners Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys to make the semifinals at Montreal. That said, she will have to be wary of the fast-rising Alexandra Eala.
The Filipino is herself having a breakthrough season that has seen her make the Miami Open semifinals (with wins over Keys and Swiatek of her own) and reach a first Tour final in Eastbourne.
Both women played somewhat contrasting brands of tennis. While Tauson is No. 2 on the ace leaderboard this year, Eala is a fierce returner. From the baseline, both women pack plenty of punch.
The Filiphino, for one, is the better mover, and it will be interesting to see if she can frustrate Tauson enough to draw errors. The Dane has the tendency to go off-kilter when pushed out of her comfort zone and will need to exhibit patience when playing a dynamic opponent like Eala.
