Jordan Thompson was the only Australian player to advance to the second round of the US Open on day 1 at Flushing Meadows, with fellow Australians Ajla Tomljanovic, Lizette Cabrera, Maddison Inglis, Marc Polmans, Arina Rodionova and Astra Sharma all ousted in the first round.
Thompson kicked off his US Open campaign with the perfect start, advancing to the second round at Flushing Meadows, keeping his cool to defeat Italian Stefano Travaglia 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Court 6.
The Aussie served well, hitting six aces and claiming 77% of points won on his first serve. But it was Thompson's impressive baseline game which lead to him claiming an arm wrestle against the world no.87 Travaglia, who was impressive in his own right, hitting 29 winners in the encounter.
Next up for Jordan Thompson will be a tough assignment - Belarusian Egor Gerasimov, who advanced with an eye-catching 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 18th seed Dusan Lajovic.
It will be the first meeting between the Aussie and the world no.72 Gerasimov.
Over on Louis Armstrong Stadium, Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic was defeated by 17th seed Angelique Kerber 4-6, 4-6.
Despite a solid performance from Tomljanovic, the Aussie went down swinging, unable to build enough momentum to surpass 2016 champion Kerber. 34 errors off the Tomljanovic racquet was enough to provide an edge for Kerber, who's consistency was too much for her lower ranked Australian opponent.
Out on Court 15, Lizette Cabrera was edged by Montenegrin Danka Kovinic in a tight encounter 4-6, 6-3, 2-6.
Kovinic came out on top and claimed the first set, but Cabrera fought back, adjusting her game to claim the second set and level the match.
However, a toilet break put a stop to the Aussies momentum and it was Kovinic who came out firing in the deciding set, racing away to a 4-0 lead. Cabrera was able to stem the flow and break back, but ultimately it was too little, too late for the Aussie, who exited the tournament in the opening round.
Meanwhile on Court 4, Maddison Inglis faded the tough task of 24th seed Magda Linette in her US Open debut.
Inglis was beaten convincingly in the opening set, dropping it 1-6 to the 24th seed, but as she became more comfortable on the Flushing Meadows courts, Inglis brought her attacking game style, serving to the body of Linette and eventually levelling the match at one set each, taking the second 6-4.
It was the 24th seed who regained her composure and did just enough to pass Inglis, breaking her serve in the opening game of the deciding set and riding the wave to a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
The second of two Aussie men in action, Marc Polmans came up against American Marcos Giron on Court 7 in what was a cracker of a match.
In the first set, just three points separated the pair with Giron claiming it 6-4, winning 78% of first serve points.
The arm wrestle continued in the second set, Giron the first to draw blood, breaking Polmans for a 4-2 lead, but the Aussie channelled his inner fight and was able to break back, saving five break points and forcing the set into a tiebreaker. Polmans claimed the second set 7-6(5) in an incredibly tight one, levelling the match.
It was Polmans who flexed his muscles, carrying the momentum into the third to claim it 6-3, winning 82% of first serve points.
From that point onwards, Giron lifted his level majorly, regaining the momentum and going on the attack, forcing Polmans further behind the baseline. As Polmans' serve dropped off, Giron's lifted and the American ran away with a 6-4, 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over the Aussie in five enthralling sets.
Arina Rodionova was a late entry into the main draw on day 1, replacing Lesia Tsurenko in the main draw to come up against Madison Brengle in the first round on Court 4.
From the get go, it was Brengle who dominated play, never allowing Rodionova the opportunity to make her mark on the contest, eventually racing away with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over the Australian in just 59 minutes.
The final Aussie in action on day 1, Astra Sharma, took to Court 8 for her match against 19th seed Dayana Yastremska.
Sharma opened the match breaking Yastremska's serve, but was broken back straight away and struggled to gain momentum for the remainder of the set with the 19th seed eventually breaking again to claim the opener 6-3.
The Aussie got on top in the second set, breaking Yastremska early to race away to a 4-1 lead. Sharma carried the lead until eventually being broken back when serving for the set at 5-3. The 19th seed managed to hold her serve to force a tiebreaker, but Sharma regained her composure, regaining the momentum and claiming the set 7-6(4).
The deciding set was an arm wrestle. Both players serving well, especially the 19th seed, who dropping just eight points on serve and drew the only four break point opportunities for the set, but she was unable to convert any of her opportunities as Sharma forced a tiebreaker. Yastremska was able to stay on top in the matchup, claiming a nail biting encounter 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) and ending Sharma's US Open campaign on day 1.
Australians James Duckworth, John Millman, Alex de Minaur and Christopher O'Connell will all be in action on day 2 at Flushing Meadows.
Listen in as Brett Phillips & Jedd Zetzer wrap up all the action. 👇
Available on Apple, Spotify, Google & all other major podcast platforms.