Naomi Osaka advances, No. 3 Auger-Aliassime falls at US Open. Alex Eala, Coco Gauff also in action

NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka recovered after a mid-match lapse to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open with 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Katerina Siniakova on Thursday.

The two-time U.S. Open champion played early on a day that saw No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime become the highest-seeded player eliminated thus far when he lost in four sets to Karen Khachanov.

Alex Eala followed that match, with Coco Gauff headlining the action at night.

Doubles play also began Thursday, though Serena and Venus Williams were not on the schedule. They could play their first-round match Friday against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint, who beat Serena in singles play at Wimbledon this summer.

Osaka wore silver and white under her long white jacket with a white visor as she arrived for her match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, after she was dressed in black with her hair done in cornrows under a headband in a tribute to former NBA superstar Allen Iverson for her opener at night.

The No. 13 seed appeared headed for a quick afternoon against Siniakova, who is ranked No. 1 in women's doubles but not as strong in singles as a player such as Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam titles.

Osaka won the first set in 30 minutes and then opened a 4-2 lead in the second. But she then had her serve broken in a lengthy next game and eventually her level of play took a substantial dip, with 20 unforced errors in the set after only four in the first.

Osaka quickly regained control, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the third before finishing a 19-shot rally with a volley for a winner en route to taking the next game, appearing more relieved than excited by her nice touch.

"The match was definitely really tough and I don't know, I just felt like I had to fight," Osaka said. "I definitely had a couple opportunities in the second set and I think I was a little bit too hard on myself. So I took the bathroom break, regrouped a little, came back and just tried to have no regrets."

Swiatek, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, had it much easier with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Nadia Podoroska. Eala, the No. 17 seed from the Philippines, had a lengthy wait for her start after Khachanov beat Auger-Aliassime 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

The highest seed to fall so far had been No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who lost in the first round at the U.S. Open for the first time in the 24-time Grand Slam champion's career.

Madison Keys, the 2017 runner-up, also was on the verge of an early exit before erasing five match points and edging Anna Bondar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-5).

"That was something, huh? No stress, though, we all knew I had it right?" Keys joked to the fans afterward.

Gauff, who won her first major title at Flushing Meadows in 2023, faces Paula Badosa in a night match that will be followed by No. 1 Alexander Zverev, who hopes for an easier time against Quentin Halys after he needed five sets to edge Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday, barely avoiding becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of a men's major since 2003.

Badosa will be playing for the second straight day, forced to finish her first-round match Wednesday after play was suspended Tuesday because of rain that hampered the tournament for multiple days. The sun was out again Thursday when play began.

Other men in action include No. 9 Taylor Fritz and Gael Monfils, who is planning to retire after this year but won Tuesday on his 40th birthday to prolong his Grand Slam career and advance to face No. 14 Learner Tien.

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