Sinner Eyes Smooth Start to US Open Campaign After Controversy 

Jannik Sinner of Italy speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 23, 2024 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
Jannik Sinner of Italy speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 23, 2024 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Sinner Eyes Smooth Start to US Open Campaign After Controversy 

Jannik Sinner of Italy speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 23, 2024 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
Jannik Sinner of Italy speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 23, 2024 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)

The first round of the US Open continues on Tuesday as the world's top players battle for Grand Slam glory in New York.

A host of big names will be in action as men's top seed Jannik Sinner meets Mackenzie McDonald while women's top seed Iga Swiatek meets Kamila Rakhimova.

French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will also get his campaign underway against Li Tu while former Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko and Naomi Osaka are set to face off.

TOP MEN'S MATCH: SINNER v McDONALD

Controversy has surrounded Australian Open champion Sinner in the week before the year's final Grand Slam. The Italian escaped a doping ban having been cleared after twice testing positive for the banned drug clostebol in March.

Sinner, who maintains his innocence, has continued to play after successfully challenging provisional suspensions and comes into the match on the back of winning the Cincinnati title but he has been under intense scrutiny in New York so far.

"It's not ideal before a Grand Slam," Sinner said.

"But in my mind I know I haven't done anything wrong. I had to play already for months with this in my head, but remembering that I haven't done really anything wrong.

"I always respect that these rules and I always will respect these rules of anti-doping. Obviously a relief for myself having this result. It's just good to be back here ... I'll just try to enjoy as much as I can and hopefully have a good tournament."

The 23-year-old has weathered the storm so far but will hope to avoid a hostile reception from fans when he takes on American McDonald in the day session at Arthur Ashe.

TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: SWIATEK v RAKHIMOVA

Iga Swiatek will look to hit the ground running after a run to the Cincinnati semis as the Pole returns to the venue of her 2022 triumph still not as assured on hardcourts as she is on clay.

"In 2022, that was the Grand Slam that I was least chilled at. Even though I won, I didn't feel comfortable on the court at all. I didn't feel like I can play my game naturally," she said.

"It would be stupid for me to expect that I'm going to feel it (in the) next years. The 2022 Open actually taught me that I can win even though I'm not feeling 100%.

"So I wouldn't say I'm relaxed, because it's impossible to be relaxed in New York, especially, with everything that's going on around."

OSAKA FACES TRICKY TEST

Osaka has struggled to find the form that led her to four Grand Slam titles, including two at New York, after returning to the tour from a lengthy maternity break.

She faces a tricky hurdle in her opener in the form of 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko.



F1 Constructors’ Title Now Wide Open, Says Wolff 

Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 25, 2024 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the race. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 25, 2024 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the race. (Reuters)
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F1 Constructors’ Title Now Wide Open, Says Wolff 

Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 25, 2024 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the race. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 25, 2024 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the race. (Reuters)

McLaren and Dutch Grand Prix winner Lando Norris have blown the Formula One constructors' championship wide open with Red Bull in danger of being overhauled, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Norris took the chequered flag 22.8 seconds clear of Red Bull's home hero Max Verstappen at a windy Zandvoort on Sunday, finishing with a fastest lap flourish to secure an additional point.

While the Briton is a massive 70 points behind Verstappen in the drivers' standings with nine races remaining, McLaren are now only 30 behind reigning champions Red Bull in the constructors' battle.

"He (Norris) has basically annihilated all of the competition with that fastest lap at the end, with a 42-lap old hard tire and a 20 second gap," Wolff told reporters after the race.

"So I think this championship, the constructors' championship, is wide open in my opinion and that's good for Formula One."

With sprint races inflating the available points tally at some weekends to come, the gap is one that could be closed relatively quickly.

Red Bull scored 54 points from the China sprint weekend alone in April while McLaren scored 27 points more than Red Bull in Hungary last month.

McLaren have outscored once-dominant Red Bull in eight of the last nine races while Mercedes, fourth overall, have done so in four of the last five.

There have been seven different race winners so far, the most since 2012, and while McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have triumphed with both their drivers, Sergio Perez has become Red Bull's Achilles heel.

The Mexican has scored just 36 points in his last nine races but his team have stuck with him in the hope his contribution will pick up again - and the absence of a clearly better alternative.

While Mercedes are 158 points off the top, they have won three races this season - the same as McLaren and one more than third-placed Ferrari who are 34 points behind Norris' team and have their home Italian Grand Prix next up on Sunday.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner pointed out that Sunday was still only the fourth time this season that triple world champion Verstappen had come away from a race weekend with his points lead reduced.

He recognized, however, that Red Bull - who started the season with Verstappen taking seven successive poles and winning seven of the first 10 races - had issues to resolve and McLaren currently had the quicker car.

"It can change very quickly, and that means it can change back the other way as well," he said.

"McLaren has been the benchmark car over the last few races, we're very acutely aware that we need to respond to that.

"We're used to being in championship fights over the years. We'll dig deep and we're going to fight with everything we've got over the remaining nine races."