Young Shang injured his right foot and then his left; Kei suffered a shocking upset, and Serena only set records as two notable players retired.

Three minutes daily to catch up on all things tennis worldwide. Hello tennis fans, today is Tuesday, August 26, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

We continue to follow the US Open. Last night and early this morning Beijing time, the second day of the 2025 US Open unfolded. In men's singles, in a key first-round match, young Chinese player Shang Juncheng retired due to injury when trailing 6-7(0), 6-1, 3-6, 0-3 against Italy’s Berrettini, missing the chance to advance. Post-match reports revealed Shang suffered a severe bruise on his left foot. Earlier this year, he had surgery on his right foot and was sidelined for more than six months. Now with issues on his left foot, he likely faces another long recovery period.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's qualifier Henry Wong brought a surprise by defeating American Kovacevic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(4), becoming the first male player from Hong Kong in the Open Era to win a main draw Grand Slam match.

In a highlight match that ended around noon Beijing time, the newly styled No. 2 seed, Spanish star Alcaraz, won his debut match convincingly over American big hitter Opelka with a straight-sets 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

Other winners advancing include Russian stars Khachanov and Rublev, Poland’s Majchrzak, Norway’s Ruud, Belgium’s Copilion, Americans Brooksby, Tiafoe, and Boye, Italy’s Cobolli, Spain’s Munar, Britain’s top player Draper, Australia’s Walton, Germany’s Struff, Denmark’s Rune, Brazil’s Fonseca, South Africa’s L. Harris, and Canada’s Diallo. Notably, Cobolli and Brooksby both endured tough five-set battles to secure their wins. The winners represent a diverse range of countries.

On the women's side: Chinese star Yuan Yue, playing her first-round match, was reversed by 17th seed Samsonova 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, marking her 11th consecutive Grand Slam main draw loss. The biggest upset of the day was 6th seed and American star Keys being knocked out by Mexico’s Zarazua 6-7(10), 7-6(3), 7-5, making Keys the first top-eight seed eliminated at this US Open. Throughout the match, Keys committed 89 unforced errors.

9th seed Leylah Fernandez cruised past 16-year-old local wildcard Pareja 6-3, 6-0 to advance comfortably. Next, she will face 18-year-old Czech qualifier Valentova. 5th seed Mira Andreeva showed excellent form, dominating local young player Parks 6-0, 6-1. She will next play against Russian Potapova.

11th seed and Czech star Muchova defeated wildcard and former champion, American legend Serena Williams, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, maintaining her undefeated record against Serena. Serena seems unconcerned about winning now, focusing instead on breaking records. This marks her 25th US Open appearance and 94th Grand Slam participation—an unbeatable record for now.

Other winners moving forward include Bondar, Kasatkina, Mertens, Fletcher, Kalinskaya, Pavlyuchenkova, Sakkari, Putintseva, Jovic, Ann Li, Townsend, Jakcmo, Buksha, and Han Tianyu.

French wildcard Garcia lost 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 to Russia’s Rakhimova, marking the final match of her professional career as she officially retires. Czech star Kvitova also ended her tennis career after a heavy 1-6, 0-6 defeat to French player Parry.

Lastly, let's play a guessing game. The photo below shows a player lying on the ground celebrating a championship win. Without hints, can you identify who he is?

In the previous guessing game, some fans gave the correct answer. Yes, the person in the photo is Denmark’s top player Rune.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Spirit)