US Open: Jainik Sinner cruises past Daniel Altmaier in a five-setter showdown

In their first career meeting lasting three hours and 35 minutes, Sinner took easy control of the second and third sets after some baseline hitting, but Altmaier rallied hard to challenge the six-time tour titlist the distance.

"It's very tough, obviously, playing the first round in every tournament, and especially here where I think I can play well," Sinner remarked, "I had moments where I played well and I had moments where I could play better, but first round it's obviously a very tough one."

The fifth set was challenging for Sinner, trailing 0/40 during his service game at 1-1. However, he broke the next game securing a 3-1 lead that pushed the rest of the match into his favour.

Sinner, who played in the fourth round in New York in 2021, will encounter Christopher Eubanks, a home qualifier who dispatched Spaniard Pedro Martinez 7-5, 6-3, 7-6.

Borna Coric survives a scare against Enzo Couacaud and enters the second round

The recent winner of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, Borna Coric, was challenged by world number 193, Enzo Couacaud, who ultimately succumbed in five sets 6-2 7-6 3-6 4-6 7-5 in round one of the US Open 2022.

In four hours and five minutes of intense tennis, Couacaud pressed hard after losing the first set and forced the Croatian to play a tie-break that he eventually squandered.

The 27-year-old Mauritian showed more consistency, and his quality of defence shot up in the third set. Despite his average first serve, he tackled every point and took his form into the fourth set. 

He broke twice at 3-1 and 5-3, then served to pocket the match at 5-4 but three errors, including a double fault, gave Coric an unexpected advantage. 

He played with increased aggression and took control of the last three games. Despite hitting 81 unforced errors for 74 winning shots, Coric set up a second-round clash against Jenson Brooksby, who defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-2 6-0 3-0, a.b. in round one.