Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out in the second round of the US Open on Wednesday. The seventh seed served for the match in the fourth set but went on to lose to qualifier Dominic Stricker.

The world No 128 came through 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 6-3 to earn the biggest victory of his young career.

The 21-year-old Swiss player had come through qualifying to make his US Open main draw debut, beating world No. 41 Alexei Popyrin in the first round.

Stricker took the first set against Tsitsipas before the two-time grand slam finalist came storming back, winning the next two sets. The 25-year-old served for the match at 5-3 in the fourth set but the qualifier held his nerve and managed to break at a crucial moment, forcing a tie-break.

The seventh seed was two points from the victory at 5-4 in the breaker but Stricker stole it 8-6 and got the early break in the fifth and final set which proved crucial, serving out the biggest win of his career after four hours and four minutes.

‘High on energy’

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the second round on Tuesday after his opponent, German Dominik Koepfer, retired with an injury during their primetime match in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 20-year-old top seed from Spain was leading 6-2, 3-2 when Koepfer retired, having rolled his ankle at a grimace-inducing angle minutes into the match.

Alcaraz will play Lloyd Harris of South Africa in the second round.

“Obviously I have to give credit to him,” Alcaraz said in on-court remarks after the match. “First step on the court, I felt great. “First step on the court, I felt great... the same energy that I felt last year.”

On track

Top seed and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland defeated Daria Saville of Australia 6-3, 6-4. American sixth seed Coco Gauff delivered a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Russia’s Mirra Andreeva in a battle of teenage talents to reach the third round.

Gauff converted four of her five break point opportunities and surrendered her serve just once during the 76-minute match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 19-year-old Gauff said she took a more aggressive approach into her second meeting with Andreeva after having to rally back to beat the Russian in three sets at this year’s French Open.

American Taylor Townsend knocked out Brazilian 19th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-6 (7-1), 7-5.

Sabalenka struggles

An error-prone Aryna Sabalenka overcame her early struggles on serve to overpower unseeded Belgian Maryna Zanevska 6-3, 6-2 and move into the second round.

Twice New York semi-finalist Sabalenka, who is bidding to win her second grand slam title and leapfrog Iga Swiatek into top spot in the world rankings, was nowhere near her best but showed composure when it mattered most in a tricky contest.

Two-time US Open champion Venus Williams suffered her most lopsided loss in 24 appearances at the grand slam tournament with a 6-1, 6-1 defeat at the hands of qualifier Greet Minnen in the first round on Tuesday.

Promising start

Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie sailed into the second round with straight-sets wins as hopes for British success at the tournament got off to a promising start.

Former champion Murray, working his way back from hip surgeries, was forced to labour more than Norrie, needing four match points and three hours to beat Corentin Moutet 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 sealing victory with a lovely backhand winner.

“I’m at my highest ranking since I had the metal hip so I’m happy with that,” said Murray, the former world No. 1 now ranked 37th and unseeded at the major he won in 2012.

“It’s not been an easy journey — obviously I would like to be ranked higher,” he added after notching his 200th match win at a Grand Slam tournament. Earlier in the day, 16th seed Norrie cruised past Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in 91 minutes as he looks to turn around a disappointing second half of his season.

Wawrinka feat

Former US Open champion Stan Wawrinka said he still had the game for the grandest stage after the Swiss veteran became the oldest man to win a singles contest at the tournament since a 40-year-old Jimmy Connors in 1992.

The 38-year-old Wawrinka rolled back the years to outclass Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4.