Daniil Medvedev Dominates Hugo Gaston in US Open Opener

Daniil Medvedev walked back into Arthur Ashe Stadium with bad memories trailing behind him. They did not last long.

Twelve months after a shock first-round exit that left him openly questioning his future and joking about pickleball, the 2021 US Open champion tore through Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday with the cold efficiency of a man intent on resetting the narrative.

No drama this time. Just 34 winners, relentless pressure and a performance that felt like a statement.

“You need to play your game — I knew he was going to do some drop shots, some underarm serves,” Medvedev said. “I needed to make some winners, put some pressure on him.” He did exactly that.

Gaston arrived with his usual box of tricks, all angles and disguise, but his creativity never truly unsettled the sixth-foot-six Russian. Medvedev read the Frenchman’s intentions early, covered the court with those long, gliding strides, and turned the match into a baseline interrogation.

First Set

The first crack came in the seventh game of the opening set. Gaston, already flirting with danger on serve, floated a backhand wide to gift the break. Medvedev did not blink again, locking down his delivery and closing the set with the air of a man who had no interest in revisiting last year’s chaos.

Second Set

The pressure only tightened.

In the second set, Gaston collapsed under another wave of depth and pace, smacking a forehand into the net in the third game to fall behind once more. Medvedev sensed weakness and went after it. On break point at 4-2, he leapt into a backhand, carving a superbly angled winner that left Gaston rooted and the crowd buzzing. That was the shot of the match, the kind of audacious strike that signals not just control, but confidence.

Third Set

By the start of the third, the contest felt one-sided. Medvedev broke again in the opening game, whipping a forehand past Gaston and slamming the door on any hint of a comeback. From there, he simply managed the scoreboard, mixing heavy first serves with flat, penetrating groundstrokes, never allowing Gaston a foothold.

He sealed the win with an unreturnable serve, turned briskly to his chair and looked every inch a former champion ready to stay a while in New York.

Next up is the winner of the late match between American wildcard Sebastian Gorzny and Belgian Raphael Collignon. On this evidence, whoever emerges will be stepping into a very tall problem.

Cilic and Ruud Withdrawals

While Medvedev reasserted himself on Ashe, the men’s field lost two significant names.

Former champion Marin Cilic, who lifted his only major trophy at Flushing Meadows 12 years ago, withdrew with an unspecified injury shortly after the tournament began. The 37-year-old Croat, already battling time and a body that has absorbed years of punishment, was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Otto Virtanen.

Virtanen, who himself had pulled out of his third-round qualifying match against Grigor Dimitrov with an injury, now finds himself thrust into the main event against 23rd seed Andrey Rublev in the opening round. It is a sudden twist for the Finn and a reminder of how quickly fortunes can swing in Grand Slam qualifying.

Cilic’s name joins an increasingly crowded absentee list. Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Joao Fonseca and Holger Rune are all missing from this year’s US Open, stripping the event of both established quality and rising intrigue.

Then came another blow: Casper Ruud, the 2022 runner-up in New York, also pulled out.

Ruud, who retired during the second set of his Cincinnati Open match against Christopher O’Connell earlier this month, confirmed that his back injury had not healed in time. “Unfortunately, my back hasn't healed as quickly as we had hoped,” he said on Instagram, explaining that he and his team had opted for the long view rather than risk further damage.

“We've been optimistic that I would recover in time, but my team and I have decided that we need to think long-term and give my body the time it needs,” Ruud added. “I'm very sad to announce that I have to withdraw from this year's U.S. Open singles event. It's never easy to miss a Grand Slam, but I know this is the right decision. I'll take the time I need to recover properly and come back stronger.”

Lucky loser Arthur Gea steps into Ruud’s vacated spot and will face Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the opening round. The Frenchman had already been in action at Flushing Meadows last week, playing the revamped mixed doubles event alongside Diana Shnaider, where they fell in the quarterfinals to Rublev and Mirra Andreeva.

Two big names gone, two lucky losers in. The men’s draw has shifted before it has even found its stride.

Pegula Rides Out Nerves

On the women’s side, Jessica Pegula opened the day session on Arthur Ashe Stadium and needed a few games to calm her hands.

The world No. 3, a former finalist in New York, missed her first nine break-point chances against Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Her timing was off, her shoulders tight. The occasion, and what it could mean, clearly weighed on her.

“I was so nervous,” Pegula admitted. “I was like sending GIFs of what I felt like. It was GIFs of people freaking out and stuff. … The first round of a slam, there's always a ton of nerves.”

Once she found her range, the match flipped.

Pegula, fresh from a run to the Cincinnati Open final where she lost to Coco Gauff, settled behind her serve and began to dictate. She ended the day winning a dominant 92% of her first-serve points, steamrolling through the final stretch of a 6-3, 6-2 victory in 83 minutes.

The numbers tell the story of control, but the context adds the edge. Pegula leads the women’s tour this season with 46 match wins, owns two titles, and has reached three other finals. The consistency is elite; the missing piece is a major.

That could change here.

If Pegula lifts her first Grand Slam trophy in New York and No. 2 Elena Rybakina falls before the semifinals, the American will rise to world No. 1. It is a tantalising prospect, one that explains the early jitters and the visible relief once she locked in.

Medvedev rebuilding his fortress, Pegula chasing history, Cilic and Ruud watching from home. The US Open has barely begun, and already the storylines are pulling in different directions.