Cheering spectators brought energy to the first matches of the US Open yesterday as two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, battling back from injury, and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens advanced to the second round. The hardcourt tennis showdown began with crowds not limited by Covid-19 rules after no fans were allowed in 2020.
“Playing without fans here was brutal,” Stephens said. “We feel the energy with everyone screaming and yelling.”
Stephens beat Madison Keys 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in a rematch on Ashe of the 2017 US Open final.
“We’re both looking to get back that form we had in 2017,” Stephens said. “I knew I had to hang in there and fight and do what I do best, run around and hit balls.”
Halep defeated Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-6 (3) to book a second-round match against Slovakian lucky loser Kristina Kucova, who ousted American Ann Li 7-5, 6-1.
“First round is always a tough match so yeah, I’m happy to win,” Halep said. “I’m happy because I can feel my serve improving.”
The 29-year-old Romanian 12th seed could feel an extra intensity from screaming ticketholders, who had to prove they were vaccinated to be allowed onto the grounds.
“You feel the energy. You feel alive on court,” Halep said. “Hopefully it will stay like that.”
Halep, the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon champion, tore a left calf muscle at the Italian Open, missed the French Open and Wimbledon, then suffered a right thigh injury at Cincinnati, but made a solid start.
“I’m confident,” Halep said. “I believed I had a good chance and I handled well the important points of the match.”
On the men’s side, while top-ranked Novak Djokovic waits until today to begin his quest for a US Open crown to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam, his top-seeded rivals take the court.
Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev advanced by ousting 221st-ranked Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3 in 96 minutes. The 42-year-old Croatian was the oldest US Open qualifier in the Open Era (since 1968).


Two hours in line
Fans attending the US Open yesterday confronted long lines at the main gate’s security checkpoint, forcing some ticket holders to wait in the heat for up to two hours to gain entry.
The United States Tennis Association, which oversees the event, acknowledged the delays but said the last-minute decision to impose a vaccine requirement for fans was not to blame.
The tennis major, which took place amid empty stands last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, commenced yesterday with thousands of visitors again thronging the grounds in New York City’s Queens borough.
Citing concerns about the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said on Friday that all fans entering Arthur Ashe Stadium would have to show proof of at least one vaccine shot. Tennis officials then extended the mandate to anyone attending the tournament.
Outside the main entrance at midday, staff members struggled to direct a sea of people awaiting admission.
“I’ve been coming since 1963, and this is my last time ever,” Howard Lefkin, 71, said, explaining that he had spent two hours trying to get into the grounds. “This is hideous.”
A handful of fans complained to police officers or shouted at staff, vowing to seek refunds. Others headed around the stadium in search of shorter lines.
“If I knew it would be two hours in line, I would have stayed home,” said Michael Berman, a 55-year-old attorney from Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
A USTA spokesman, Chris Widmaier, said in a statement that the organization was seeking ways to speed up the process.