Naomi Osaka advances, No. 3 Auger-Aliassime falls at US Open. Alex Eala, Coco Gauff also in action

NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka recovered after a mid-match lapse to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open with 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Katerina Siniakova on Thursday.

The two-time U.S. Open champion played early on a day that saw No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime become the highest-seeded player eliminated thus far when he lost in four sets to Karen Khachanov.

Alex Eala followed that match, with Coco Gauff headlining the action at night.

Doubles play also began Thursday, though Serena and Venus Williams were not on the schedule. They could play their first-round match Friday against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint, who beat Serena in singles play at Wimbledon this summer.

Osaka wore silver and white under her long white jacket with a white visor as she arrived for her match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, after she was dressed in black with her hair done in cornrows under a headband in a tribute to former NBA superstar Allen Iverson for her opener at night.

The No. 13 seed appeared headed for a quick afternoon against Siniakova, who is ranked No. 1 in women’s doubles but not as strong in singles as a player such as Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam titles.

Osaka won the first set in 30 minutes and then opened a 4-2 lead in the second. But she then had her serve broken in a lengthy next game and eventually her level of play took a substantial dip, with 20 unforced errors in the set after only four in the first.

Osaka quickly regained control, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the third before finishing a 19-shot rally with a volley for a winner en route to taking the next game, appearing more relieved than excited by her nice touch.

“The match was definitely really tough and I don’t know, I just felt like I had to fight,” Osaka said. “I definitely had a couple opportunities in the second set and I think I was a little bit too hard on myself. So I took the bathroom break, regrouped a little, came back and just tried to have no regrets.”

Swiatek, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, had it much easier with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Nadia Podoroska. Eala, the No. 17 seed from the Philippines, had a lengthy wait for her start after Khachanov beat Auger-Aliassime 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

The highest seed to fall so far had been No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who lost in the first round at the U.S. Open for the first time in the 24-time Grand Slam champion's career.

Madison Keys, the 2017 runner-up, also was on the verge of an early exit before erasing five match points and edging Anna Bondar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-5).

“That was something, huh? No stress, though, we all knew I had it right?” Keys joked to the fans afterward.

Gauff, who won her first major title at Flushing Meadows in 2023, faces Paula Badosa in a night match that will be followed by No. 1 Alexander Zverev, who hopes for an easier time against Quentin Halys after he needed five sets to edge Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday, barely avoiding becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of a men's major since 2003.

Badosa will be playing for the second straight day, forced to finish her first-round match Wednesday after play was suspended Tuesday because of rain that hampered the tournament for multiple days. The sun was out again Thursday when play began.

Other men in action include No. 9 Taylor Fritz and Gael Monfils, who is planning to retire after this year but won Tuesday on his 40th birthday to prolong his Grand Slam career and advance to face No. 14 Learner Tien.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Felix Auger-Aliassime, of Canada, falls as he tries to return the ball to Rinky Hijikata, of Australia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Madison Keys, of the United States, celebrates after she defeated Anna Bondar, of Hungary, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, hands off her arrival outfit ahead of a match against Katerina Siniakova, of the Czech Republic, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, returns the ball to Nadia Podoroska, of Argentina, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, arrives ahead of a match against Katerina Siniakova, of the Czech Republic, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, arrives ahead of a match against Katerina Siniakova, of the Czech Republic, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, reacts during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Katerina Siniakova, of the Czech Republic, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with lying to investigators about the events leading up to the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown earlier this year, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

Christian Castro, the officer who authorities say shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg in January, has been charged with making false statements to federal investigators, according to the person, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The federal charges, which remain under seal, follow Castro's release from jail last week after Texas’ governor refused to immediately sign an extradition warrant to hand him over to Minnesota authorities, who have charged him separately with assault and false reporting of a crime related to the same shooting.

Federal authorities had initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel during the confrontation. But federal prosecutors dropped charges against the men after video evidence showed the officers may have lied about the encounter, and officials opened an investigation.

Castro is the first federal immigration officer to be prosecuted by the Trump administration related to actions taken during the massive Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities that began in January 2026. No attorney is listed for Castro in the case brought by Minnesota and it was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

Thousands of officers were sent to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area by the Department of Homeland Security in what was its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. The shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers drew condemnation and raised questions over officers’ conduct, prompting changes to the operation.

Earlier this week, a federal prosecutor working on the case told lawyers for Sosa-Celis and other victims that Justice Department officials blocked the prosecutor’s push to bring a more serious civil rights charge against the officer for the shooting, ProPublica reported on Wednesday.

But the person familiar with the investigation disputed the prosecutor’s characterization, saying the civil rights probe is continuing and there has been no final decision on whether to bring additional charges. The prosecutor, Matthew Evans, was fired on Thursday and is now under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury probe, the person said.

An automatic email response from Evans' Justice Department account said he was on leave. Other attempts to reach him were not immediately successful.

Castro was initially arrested in May in the Minnesota case, and he was held in custody in Brownsville, Texas, a city bordering Mexico, while Minnesota officials sought his extradition. But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refused to immediately sign off, citing continuing investigations of fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota, which Trump used to justify his immigration crackdown there.

Minnesota officials had sought to stop the sheriff in Cameron County, Texas, from releasing Castro, out of fear that he would flee to Mexico. According to a lawsuit filed by Minnesota, Castro had a conversation with a woman, while he was incarcerated, where he spoke about marrying her and buying a house in Mexico after his release.

But Castro was released a week ago after a federal judge refused to order Texas to extradite him.

The Department of Homeland Security previously called Minnesota’s prosecution of Castro “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” saying only federal authorities have jurisdiction in the case.

Castro was suspended from ICE without pay in February while federal authorities conducted the investigation.

“The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,” ICE's acting director at the time, Todd Lyons, said then. “Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated. ICE remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the fair enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.”

Minnesota officials alleged that Castro, 52, fired through the front door of a home and shot Sosa-Celis in the thigh.

Castro and another officer had chased a different man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, to the Minneapolis apartment duplex where he and Sosa-Celis lived. Minnesota prosecutors said the officer then falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

Attorneys for Sosa-Celis and Aljorna didn’t immediately respond to emails Thursday from the AP.

Associated Press reporter Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas contributed to this report.

FILE - A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)