NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Jessica Pegula was one of the first players to compete at the U.S. Open, and she learned last year that starting Sunday provided some nice relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a little bit weird, but I did kind of enjoy that I could breathe for the next couple of days and everyone else is still freaking out about whether they\u2019re going to win their first round,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The head start is great \u2014 unless it’s a head start back to the airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just talking about it, and I said, it\u2019s so nice to play on Sunday when you win. But if you lose it\u2019s not nice, because you feel like the tournament didn\u2019t even start and you\u2019re out of it,\u201d No. 11 seed Marta Kostyuk said.<\/p>\n
Pegula and Kostyuk both won easily and now the get the benefit of any extra day of rest before returning for the second round.<\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic<\/a> lost the first set as he began his quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title on Sunday night against Mariano Navone. The match was paused during the first set so that the roof above Arthur Ashe Stadium could be closed because of rain that suspended play on the outer courts. Djokovic, 39, most recently lost his opening match<\/a> earlier this month at Cincinnati.<\/p>\n The No. 3-seeded Pegula<\/a> beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2. She said she was nervous early, which makes sense given what could be at stake for the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up. <\/p>\n Pegula leads the women\u2019s tour with 46 wins this season. She has two titles and has reached three other finals. Pegula can become No. 1 in the rankings if she wins her first major title and No. 2 Elena Rybakina loses before the semifinals.<\/p>\n Pegula next faces the winner of the match between Venus Williams<\/a> and fellow wild card Sofia Kenin. They were set to play in the nightcap at Ashe, and Williams and sister Serena are scheduled to play doubles<\/a> together.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt really nervous before I went out there, but I know my coaches were like, \u2018You didn\u2019t really look that nervous. We thought you played great,\u2019\u201d Pegula said.<\/p>\n The No. 11-seeded Kostyuk sure did, beating Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-1 for a strong start to the year’s final major after reaching the semifinals at the French Open and Wimbledon.<\/p>\n A Sunday start but the champions don\u2019t begin until Monday<\/p>\n It was the second year of a Sunday start, though some of the biggest headliners don\u2019t begin until Monday. Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka<\/a> plays her opening match against Camila Osorio, before Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>, who won his second U.S. Open title last year, plays his first singles match since April after recovering from a right wrist injury.<\/p>\n Past U.S. Open champions Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek, Sloane Stephens and Stan Wawrinka<\/a> are also on the Monday schedule, along with Wimbledon women\u2019s champion Linda Noskova and men\u2019s contenders such as Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe.<\/p>\n Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, shook off his miserable preparation for the tournament by beating Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. The No. 7 seed was just 1-3 in the North American hard-court swing, usually a time he thrives.<\/p>\n \u201cLast couple of weeks was not easy,\u201d Medvedev said. \u201cBut I\u2019m happy that today I managed to produce high-level tennis.\u201d <\/p>\n Rain causes havoc, even in a stadium with a roof<\/p>\n Other winners Sunday included No. 9 Elina Svitolina, No. 19 Jasmine Paolini and No. 31 Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open runner-up. No. 27 seed Barbora Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, lost 7-6 (4), 6-2 to Kamilla Rakhimova.<\/p>\n American Tommy Paul, the No. 20 seed, bounced back from losing a first-set tiebreak to Coleman Wong to win 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. Wong a year ago became the first<\/a> man from Hong Kong to win an Open-era Grand Slam men\u2019s singles match on the way to reaching the round of 32.<\/p>\n Seven matches couldn’t be completed because of rain \u2014 and one was delayed even though it was being played in the other stadium with a retractable roof. There was a mechanical issue with one of the sensors at Louis Armstrong Stadium, and even after the roof finally closed, the court had to be dried before No. 15 seed Alexander Bublik and J.J. Wolf could play.<\/p>\n Maric Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud both withdrew with injuries.<\/p>\n The U.S. Open is in the process of getting a new look<\/p>\n Though the main draws didn’t begin until Sunday, action at the U.S. Open has already been going on for nearly a week. Large crowds gathered for the mixed doubles tournament<\/a>, an exhibition headlined by Roger Federer’s return to Flushing Meadows<\/a> and the singles qualifying tournaments, with admission to the grounds free.<\/p>\n Fans who came for the first time Sunday may have noticed a tournament in transition. The U.S. Open is in the second year of a three-year renovation<\/a> of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main venue at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The improvements in the $800 million project include the addition of some lower-level seating, upgrades and additions of entertainment areas and the construction of a player performance center. <\/p>\n \u201cPlease pardon our appearance while we are reimagining spectacular,\u201d reads a sign above the entrance to Ashe.<\/p>\n The project is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2027 U.S. Open.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n