Aug. 25 (UPI) — Benjamin Bonzi weathered 21 aces at the U.S. Open, frequently frustrating Daniil Medvedev, to earn his second Grand Slam upset of the Russian this season.
The Frenchman converted 6 of 16 break points in the 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 first-round victory Sunday in Flushing, N.Y. He also beat Medvedev in the first round of Wimbledon 2025.
Medvedev lost control of his emotions several times during the nearly 4-hour match. He got into a verbal exchange with the chair umpire in the third set. And he smashed his racket into a bench after the match.
“I’ve never experienced something like that,” Bonzi said on the ESPN broadcast.
With Sunday’s loss, paired with early departures at Wimbledon and the 2025 French Open, Medvedev has now lost first-round matches at three-consecutive majors for the first time in his career.
Medvedev, the No. 13 player in the ATP Tour singles rankings, was ranked No. 5 to start the season. The former world No. 1 ranked as high as No. 3 in 2024 and No. 2 in 2023.
Bonzi broke Medvedev’s serve twice through the first two sets Sunday. He also saved two break points while not logging a single double fault. Medvedev, who held a 7-2 edge in aces during that stretch, also totaled six double faults and 30 unforced errors, compared to Bonzi’s 18.
Bonzi jumped ahead 5-4 during Medvedev’s third-set meltdown. He was about to serve for match point when chair umpire Greg Allensworth noticed a photographer moving, causing “outside interference.” He then granted Bonzi, who was attempting his second serve, a first serve due to the distraction.
Medvedev jogged below to Allensworth and shouted at him for several minutes.
“Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking?” Medvedev said to the umpire, while looking into a nearby camera. “He wants to go home, guys, he doesn’t like it here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”
Medvedev went on to win the set. He channeled that momentum into a 6-0 fourth-set triumph, before dropping the final set and triggering his departure from Flushing.
“I wasn’t upset with the photographer,” Medvedev told reporters. “I was upset with the decision. Every time there’s a sound from the stands between serves, there’s never a second serve. But the umpire gave him a first serve. That’s what made me angry.”
Bonzi will take on No. 55 Marcos Giron of the United States in the second round. Giron beat No. 78 Mariano Navone of Argentina in a 4-hour, 12-minute first-round match, the longest of the day.
No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 6 Ben Shelton were the top American men to advance on Day 1 of the season’s final major. They won in straight sets.
No. 7 Novak Djokovic of Serbia, No. 16 Jacub Mensik of the Czech Republic, No. 18 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and No. 21 Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic were among the other top men’s players to advance.
Djokovic, who is looking to win a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, beat No. 50 Learner Tien of the United States 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2. He will face another American, No. 145 Zachary Svajda, in the second round.
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the defending champion, needed just 81 minutes to beat No. 108 Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland in her opener. She will take on No. 67 Polina Kudermetova in the second round.
No. 4 Jessica Pegula of the United States, No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, No. 11 Emma Navarro of the United States, No. 19 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, No. 26 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, No. 36 Emma Raducanu of the United Kingdom, No. 41 McCartney Kessler of the United States , No. 60 Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic and No. 123 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus were among the other notable women’s players to win their openers.
No. 75 Alexandra Eala of the Philippines upset No. 14 Clara Tauson of Denmark in a first-round upset. The 20-year-old, who advanced to the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time, will take on No. 95 Cristina Bucsa of Spain or No. 371 Claire Liu of the United States in in her next match.
No. 5 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 6 Madison Keys of the United States, No. 10 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 13 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic and No. 15 Elena Svitolina of Ukraine will be among the top women in action Monday in Flushing.
No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, No. 5 Jack Draper of the United Kingdom, No. 9 Karen Khachanov of Russia, No. 11 Holger Rune of Denmark, No. 12 Casper Ruud of Norway, No. 15 Andrey Rublev of Russia and No. 17 Frances Tiafoe of the United States are the top-ranked men with matches scheduled on Day 2.
Streaming coverage of the 2025 U.S. Open will air daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. EDT on ESPN+. Additional coverage will air from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday on ESPN and from 7 to 11:30 p.m. on ESPN2.