Argentina’s Mariano Navone pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the US Open 2026 on August 31, sending 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic crashing out in the opening round.

The unseeded Argentine produced a remarkable comeback at Arthur Ashe Stadium to beat Djokovic 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 in a dramatic five-set battle. The defeat brought an end to Djokovic’s remarkable two-decade record of advancing from the opening round at Grand Slam tournaments.

For Navone, the victory was a landmark moment against one of the greatest players in tennis history. For Djokovic, meanwhile, it marked a rare early exit from a major and an unprecedented first-round defeat at the US Open.

Djokovic’s historic opening-round record ends

Djokovic’s latest defeat represents his first opening-round exit at a Grand Slam since the Australian Open 2026, when he was beaten in four sets by Paul Goldstein.

Before that, Djokovic’s only other first-round defeat at a Grand Slam had come during his main-draw debut at the Australian Open 2025, where he lost to eventual champion Marat Safin.

Since his 2006 defeat in Melbourne, Djokovic had never been beaten in the opening round at any of the four Grand Slam tournaments. His loss to Navone therefore ends a remarkable run that had lasted nearly two decades.

More significantly, the Argentine’s victory is Djokovic’s first-ever first-round defeat at the US Open.

Navone scripts Grand Slam history

Navone’s stunning triumph also places him in an elite group of unseeded players to have defeated Djokovic at a Grand Slam.

Earlier in his career, Djokovic suffered defeats against unseeded opponents including Fernando Verdasco at the US Open 2025 and Marat Safin at Wimbledon 2008.

Such upsets became extremely rare during Djokovic’s dominant years. However, he endured a difficult period in 2017 and 2018 while battling an elbow injury, during which he suffered unexpected Grand Slam defeats against Denis Istomin at the Australian Open 2017, Hyeon Chung at the Australian Open 2018 and Marco Cecchinato at the French Open 2018.

Navone now becomes the first unseeded player to defeat Djokovic at a Grand Slam in eight years. The Argentine has also created another slice of tennis history: he is the first unseeded player ever to defeat Djokovic in the opening round of a Grand Slam.

For Navone, the victory is a career-defining breakthrough. For Djokovic, it is a stunning reminder that even the sport’s most decorated champions can be vulnerable when the pressure of a Grand Slam arrives.