Roger Federer of Switzerland rises in the air as he hits a smash to Leonardo Mayer of Argentina during their first round match at the US Open in New York on Tuesday. (Reuters)
Reuters/New York
Roger Federer glided into the second round on a hot, steamy day at Flushing Meadows, while Andy Murray ushered talented young Australian Nick Kyrgios out of another grand slam event at the US Open on Tuesday.
Murray had beaten 37th-ranked Kyrgios in straight sets in their three previous meetings, eliminating him this year from two other grand slams, in the Australian quarter-finals and third round of the French Open.
The third-seeded Scotsman sent Kyrgios packing in the first round after playing straight man to the flippant Australian, who unnecessarily tried ‘tweener’ shots through his legs and jumped extravagantly on routine forehands that he buried into the net.
“I expected a very tough match, and that’s what I got,” Murray, 28, said.
But Murray had the last laugh against the clownish Kyrgios as he blasted 18 aces and 46 winners while only committing 23 unforced errors under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Earlier, second seed Federer was the envy of a clutch of men’s players made to work overtime in the 90-degree heat by quickly dismissing his opening opponent.
Federer, who has been in sizzling form since reaching the Wimbledon finals, dashed past 34th-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 6-1 6-2 6-2 to launch his campaign for a sixth U.S. Open crown and first slam title since the 2012 Wimbledon.
“I feel good now,” said Federer. “I actually wasn’t so confident yesterday and today. I just felt like maybe (this)could be one of those matches I just couldn’t see coming.
“Thankfully I took this match extremely serious,” said the 34-year-old Swiss, who had fought off five match points in beating Mayer last year in Shanghai.
Murray next meets French left-hander Adrian Mannarino, while Federer faces Belgian Steve Darcis, who advanced 6-7(2) 6-3 6-2 3-1 when Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus retired.
RETIREMENTS CONTINUE
Baghdatis became the fifth player to retire on Tuesday after seven quit their matches on Monday as the toll of late season injuries and the searing heat presented severe challenges at the US National Tennis Center.
Among other shortened matches, Australian Lleyton Hewitt, the 2001 US Open winner, advanced 6-0 7-6(2) 1-0 when Aleksandr Nedovyseov of Kazakhstan retired.
Misfortune favoured the French and went the other way for the Aussies when 12th seed Richard Gasquet advanced 4-6 6-1 4-6 6-3 2-0 when Thanasi Kokkinakis retired.
Other players were sorely tested on the court.
Three players in the bottom half of the men’s draw had to go the distance under the sun, including French 11th seed Gilles Simon, who looked to have iced victory after taking a 6-2 6-4 3-0 lead over American Donald Young.
But the Frenchman stumbled, and the 26-year-old American, once hailed as the next great US player, saw an opportunity and turned the match upside down for a 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 win.
“I really had it on my racquet,” said Simon. “I was not able to do anything on the tennis court. I think Donald realised it and then played what he had to play to take me down in five sets. It’s a terrible result for me today.”
In another wrenching defeat for France, Paul-Henri Mathieu fell to Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in five sets.
The 128th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka, who saw fourth-seeded compatriot and 2014 finalist Kei Nishikori drummed out in five sets on Monday, booked himself into the second round with a 6-4 2-6 6-7(7) 6-1 6-2 victory.
Dutchman Robin Haase also made a Houdini-like escape against Germany’s Dustin Brown to register a 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 6-4 victory.
On the women’s side, second seed Simona Halep of Romania also had an abbreviated match as she advanced 6-2 3-0 after 47 minutes on court as New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic retired with a knee injury.
Also sprinting to victory was fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who dismissed U.S. national college champion Jamie Loeb 6-2 6-0, and fifth-seeded, two-times Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova beat Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-1 6-1.
The women’s draw continued to produce upsets as Czech sixth seed and French Open finalist Lucie Safarova fell 6-4 6-1 to Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.
Fourteenth seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland was also shown the door, sent out by 42nd-ranked Czech Barbora Strycova 7-5 6-0.
“I wasn’t surprised (by the upsets), it is normal,” said 23-year-old Halep. “Everyone is fighting like crazy because it’s the last grand slam (of the year).”
Results
MEN (ROUND I): Stan Wawrinka (SUI x5) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (6); Hyeon Chung (KOR) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2; Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) bt Gilles Muller (LUX) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4; Jack Sock (USA x28) bt Víctor Estrella (DOM) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2; Viktor Troicki (SRB x22) bt Francis Tiafoe (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-3; Rajeev Ram (USA) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1; Aljaz Bedene (GBR) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 3-6, 6-4, 3-0 – retd; Donald Young (USA) bt Gilles Simon (FRA x11) 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; Kevin Anderson (RSA x15) bt Andrey Rublev (RUS) 7-6 (1), 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-3; Austin Krajicek (USA) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7/1); Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 6-4, 6-1; Dominic Thiem (AUT x20) bt Daniel Gimeno (ESP) 7-5, 6-3, 7-5; Thomaz Belluci (BRA x30) bt James Ward (GBR) 6-1, 7-5, 6-3; Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) bt Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-2; Adrian Mannarino (FRA) bt Konstantin Kravchuk (RUS) 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-1; Andy Murray (GBR x3) bt Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Denis Kudla (USA) 6-3, 7-5, 6-1; Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Sam Querrey (USA) 7-5, 7-6 (6), 7-5; Guillermo Garcia Lopez (ESP x31) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 7-6 (4) 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Bernard Tomic (AUS x24) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3; Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) bt Aleksandr Nedovyesov (KAZ) 6-0, 7-6 (2), 1-0 – retd; Robin Haase (NED) bt Dustin Brown (GER) 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4; Richard Gasquet (FRA x12) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 4-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 2-0 – retd; John Isner (USA x13) bt Malek Jaziri (TUN) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4; Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) bt John-Patrick Smith (AUS) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4); Jirí Veselý (CZE) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; Ivo Karlovic (CRO x21) bt Federico Del Bonis (ARG) 6-3, 7-5, 7-5; Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x29) bt Alexander Zverev (GER) 6-7 (0), 6-2, 6-0, 2-6, 6-4; Lukas Rosol (CZE) bt Jared Donaldson (USA) 7-6 (7), 6-0, 7-6 (7/4); Steve Darcis (BEL) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2, 3-1 – retd; Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
WOMEN (ROUND I): Petra Kvitova (CZE x5) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-1, 6-1; Nicole Gibbs (USA) bt Lourdes Domínguez (ESP) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Danka Kovinic (MNE) bt Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1; Anna Karolína Schmiedlová (SVK x32) bt Julia Goerges (GER) 6-3, 6-4; Andrea Petkovic (GER x18) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; Elena Vesnina (RUS) bt Laura Robson (GBR) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5; Johanna Konta (GBR) bt Louisa Chirico (USA) 6-3, 6-0; Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP x9) bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 6-2, 6-4; Sara Errani (ITA x16) bt Mayo Hibi (JPN) 6-0, 6-1; Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Annika Beck (GER) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4; Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) bt Tereza Mrdeza (CRO) 6-2, 6-2; Samantha Stosur (AUS x22) bt Tímea Babos (HUN) 6-3, 6-4; Flavia Pennetta (ITA x26) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1; Monica Niculescu (ROM) bt Alexandra Panova (RUS) 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3; Petra Cetkovská (CZE) bt Christina McHale (USA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x4) bt Jamie Loeb (USA) 6-2, 6-0; Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE x6) 6-4, 6-1; Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-1, 6-1; Mona Barthel (GER) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-1; Olga Govortsova (BLR) bt Irina Begu (ROM x28) 6-1, 0-6, 7-6 (7/3); Victoria Azarenka (BLR x20) bt Lucie Hradecká (CZE) 6-1, 6-2;Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-3, 6-1; Karin Knapp (ITA) bt Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) 6-7 (1), 6-2, 6-4; Angelique Kerber (GER x11) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) 6-3, 6-1; Barbora Strycova (CZE) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x14) 7-5, 6-0; Wang Qiang (CHN) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE) 7-5, 6-2; Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6-3, 6-3; Sabine Lisicki (GER x24) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-1, 6-4; Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Alize Cornet (FRA x27) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4; Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Sachia Vickery (USA) 6-2, 6-2; Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-0, 6-3; Simona Halep (ROM x2) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 6-2, 3-0 - retd
