Australian hopes took an early blow at the US Open as rising star Talia Gibson and Adam Walton were both knocked out in the first round in New York.
Gibson was beaten by Croatian veteran Donna Vekic, while Walton’s campaign ended against China’s Yibing Wu on the opening day at Flushing Meadows.
The defeat was a setback for Gibson, who arrived in New York ranked 61st in the world after a breakthrough season on hard courts. The 22-year-old had reached the fourth round in Miami and the quarter-finals at Indian Wells earlier in 2026.
Gibson was making her second appearance in the US Open main draw. She lost in the opening round to Poland’s Magdalena Frech on her debut last year.
Walton, ranked 98th, had also entered the tournament with confidence after producing the biggest win of his career at the French Open, where he defeated former world number one Daniil Medvedev in the first round.
The Australian men’s player had followed that result by claiming his fifth ATP Challenger title in Tyler, Texas, in June, but he was unable to convert that form into a winning start at the season’s final Grand Slam.
Gibson and Walton’s early US Open exits leave Australia relying on the rest of its sizeable singles contingent to keep its challenge alive in New York.
