Argentina had a strong first day at the 142nd US Open in Queens, NY, on Monday. Brothers Francisco and Juan Manuel Cerúndolo each won their opening matches and will advance to the second round. Pedro Cachín was the lone blemish on the country’s record, losing in four sets to the United States’ Ben Shelton. Serbian legend Novak Djokovic won his match and will secure the world’s number one spot when rankings are updated in two weeks time.

In a match that lasted more than three hours, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo defeated the Belarusian Ilya Ivashka. The 21-year-old Argentine struggled initially, dropping the first two sets, but rallied to claim a dramatic victory, 2-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6 -3 and 6-1. The youngest of the Cerúndolos, who currently ranks 93 in the ATP, earned his first Grand Slam win. He will now face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated the United States’ Marcos Girón in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, and 6-2.

Francisco Cerúndolo, 25, entered the tournament as the 20th seed and the top-ranked Argentine player, but he too began slowly, dropping his first set to the United States’ Zachary Svajda. Cerúndolo recovered to win in four sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 and 6-3, in a match that lasted 2 hours and 59 minutes. He will now face the winner of the Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely and France’s Enzo Couacaud.

Pedro Cachín, 28, lost in four sets,  6-1, 3-6, 2-6 and 4-6, in a match that lasted just over two hours.. The Cordobese, who won his first ATP title this year in Gstaad and is currently ranked 66, could not replicate his 2022 success when he reached the third round.

Ultimately, all eyes were on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the biggest court in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, as Serbian Novak Djokovic made his debut against Alexandre Muller of France. 

The current number two seed made quick work of the Frenchman, winning 6-0, 6-2, 6-3. Because Djokovic did not play in the 2022 U.S. Open after refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine, he is only just now reclaiming his place as the world’s number one single’s player.  

Day two of the U.S. Open on Tuesday will see the remaining Argentines make their tournament debut. (Diego Schwartzman lost his match to France’s Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets, 3-6, 4-6, 2-6.) All start times are Argentine time:

Sebastián Báez v. Borna Coric (CRO) – Court 13 – 3:30 p.m.

Facundo Diaz Acosta v. John Isner (USA) – Louis Armstrong Stadium – 3:45 p.m.

Tomás Etcheverry v. Otto Virtanen (FIN) – Court 7 – 5:30 p.m.

Guido Pella v. Lloyd Harris (SAF) – Court 14 – 6:15 p.m.

Nadia Podoroska v. Zheng Qinwen (CHN) – Court 7 – 7:15 p.m.

Also playing today:

Carlos Alcaraz (SPA) v. Dominik Koepfer (GER) – Arthur Ashe Stadium – 9:15 p.m.

All games can be watched live on ESPN and the subscription service Star+.