Aryna Sabalenka has owned New York in recent years, having made the final of the US Open in three straight years and winning in the last two. That means she has a lot of points to defend to keep her No. 1 rankings but she should be confident that she can do so.
The score against her first-round opponent, Camila Osorio, was not indicative of how much of a struggle the match was at times for the WTA No. 1. She was broken multiple times, even though she had far more power than Osorio. She could have swept the Colombian out more easily.
The match was somewhat a mirror of how Sabalenka's year has gone so far. She continues to reign atop the rankings, but she hasn't won a major this year, and she hasn't made it past the fourth round in any WTA 1000 since reaching the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open in April.
Aryna Sabalenka overcomes herself and Camila Osorio in the first round of the 2026 US Open
Against Osorio, Sabalenka took a 4-1 lead in the first set, going up a double break. That was needed as Osorio got a break off Sabalenka to get back to 2-4, but the Belarusian broke right back and then held to take the opening set 6-2.
It was later in the set that things changed ever so slightly. She had two double faults, and while she kept mashing winners, she had a few more unforced errors, too. She was helped by Osorio having five double faults and landing just 59 percent of her first serves. A better player would have given Sabalenka far more trouble.
The beginning of the second set was stranger. Sabalenka landed 73 percent of her first serves midway through set two, but won only 38 percent of those points. While the Belarusian broke the Colombian in the opening game, Osorio broke Sabalenka right back, and the set stayed on serve as Osorio desperately tried to get to a third set.
Serving at 2-3 and facing a break point, Sabalenka came through with a forehand winner and let out a scream after doing so. She is the kind of player who needs the internal fire to burn hot, and for most of the match, that hadn't happened.
As often happens in Sabalenka matches, however, she is able to up her form with an opponent trying to hold serve after a set gets to 4-all or 5-all. With Osorio serving at 4-all in the second set, the Belarusian got the break, finishing most points with immense power. She was then able to hold to win the set 6-4 and move into round two.
In the second round of the 2026 US Open, Aryna Sabalenka will take on 22-year-old Polina Iatcenko, who defeated Renata Zarazua in three sets in her first-round match. Sabalenka and Iatcenko have never played one another.
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