NEW YORK (AP) — Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka moved into the second round of the U.S. Open on Sunday after weathering a challenging first set in her first match.
The No. 1 player took down Swiss player Rebeka Masarova 7-5, 6-1, but it wasn’t without struggle. Sabalenka went down a break early in the first set, keeping the two neck-and-neck until the defending champion was able to pull away from their 5-5 deadlock.
Click to Gallery
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, shakes hands with Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, after winning their first-round match of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, celebrates after defeating Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, celebrates after defeating Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after scoring a point against Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Sabalenka then dominated the second set, dropping only one game en route to her eventual victory.
“I feel like I didn't start my best in the first games, but then I found my rhythm. Happy with the level I played today,” she said after the win.
She credited the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium for helping her make it through that tight first set.
“When I won that set point and you were cheering me up, I had goosebumps while I was sitting,” Sabalenka said on the court. “Your support means a lot to me, and thank you so much.”
The three-time Slam champion has gone through three of this year's four Grand Slams without a title.
“I would love to finish the season with a Grand Slam and world No. 1,” she said Friday. “But I think if this goal is not going to be achieved, I'll still think that this season has been really amazing for me. All of those tough lessons I learned this season only going to make me stronger for the next one.”
She will face Polina Kudermetova in the second round. Sabalenka defeated her in their most recent matchup in Dubai in February.
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, shakes hands with Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, after winning their first-round match of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, celebrates after defeating Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, celebrates after defeating Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after scoring a point against Rebeka Masarova, of Switzerland, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A construction crane collapsed onto an elevated road near Bangkok, killing two people on Thursday, a day after another crane fell on a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand and killed 32 people.
The work on an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway — a major artery leading from Bangkok — has become notorious for construction accidents, some of them fatal.
The crane collapsed at part of the road project in Samut Sakhon province, trapping two vehicles in the wreckage, according to the government’s Public Relations Department.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thai TV Channel 7 that two people had died. It was unclear if anyone else had been trapped in the wreckage.
There was uncertainty about the number of victims because the site is still considered too dangerous for search teams to enter, said Suchart Tongteng, a rescue worker with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.
“At this moment, we still can’t say whether another collapse could happen,” he said, citing dangling steel plates. “That’s why there are no rescue personnel inside the scene, only teams conducting on-site safety assessments.”
At the site of Wednesday's train derailment, the search for survivors ended, Nakhon Ratchasima Gov. Anuphong Suksomnit said. Three passengers listed as missing were presumed to have gotten off the train earlier, but that was still being investigated.
Officials believed 171 people had been aboard the train’s three carriages, which were being removed from the scene Thursday.
The crane that fell, crushing part of the train, was a launching gantry crane, a mobile piece of equipment often used in building elevated roadways.
Police were still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses and have not pressed charges, provincial Police Chief Narongsak Promta told reporters.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported a South Korean man in his late 30s, was among the dead.
The high-speed rail project where the accident occurred is associated with the plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.
Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.
A statement posted on the website of the company, also known as Italthai, expressed condolences to the victims and said the company would pay compensation to the families of the dead and hospitalization expenses for the injured.
Transport Minister Phiphat said Italthai was also the lead contractor on the highway project where Thursday's accident took place, though several other companies are also involved.
The rail accident had already sparked outrage because Italthai was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok that collapsed during construction last March during a major earthquake centered in Myanmar. The building's collapse was the worst quake damage in Thailand and about 100 people were killed.
Twenty-three individuals and companies have been indicted, including Italthai's president and the local director for the company China Railway No. 10, the project’s joint venture partner. The charges in the case include professional negligence and document forgery, and Thailand's Department of Special Investigation has recommended more indictments.
The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday the government was aware of the rail accident and had expressed condolences.
Associated Press writers Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
Relatives of victims and others wait at a hospital, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Relatives wait at a hospital to receive bodies of victims, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Forensic workers inspect the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A cuddly toy lies on the ground at the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
