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Tennis – U.S. Open day one – Metro US

Tennis – U.S. Open day one

Tennis: US Open
Tennis: US Open

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former world number one Andy Murray went down fighting in the first round of the U.S. Open as third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas triumphed in a near five-hour contest on Monday.

As fans returned in numbers to Flushing Meadows for the first time in two years, they were treated to quality tennis at Arthur Ashe Stadium where Tsitsipas won 2-6 7-6(7) 3-6 6-3 6-4, even as Murray fumed https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/murrays-victory-hopes-go-down-toilet-after-tsitsipas-bathroom-break-2021-08-31 over what he saw as the Greek’s stalling tactics.

“I lost respect for him,” Murray said after Tsitsipas took a bathroom break and a medical timeout that broke the Scot’s momentum.

Second seed Daniil Medvedev beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-3 6-1 in the final match of the day and the Russian was relieved it did not go the distance after watching many players struggle physically.

“I’m happy that I didn’t stay out here for five hours,” Medvedev said.

Fans stayed well beyond midnight hoping to be entertained by Nick Kyrgios but the only fireworks the Australian provided were arguments with the chair umpire over towels while slumping to a 6-3 6-4 6-0 loss to Roberto Bautista Agut.

Two-time champion Naomi Osaka kicked off her title defence with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Czech Marie Bouzkova and she was happy to have the crowd back.

“Last year the automated crowd noise was kind of the same all the time. But here, people are reacting in real-time, so it was cool,” she said.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka was given a scare when Nina Stojanovic took the match to a third set but the Belarusian dominated the decider to advance 6-4 6-7(4) 6-0.

Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Ash Barty play their first round matches on Tuesday.

READ MORE:

After battles against depression Osaka happy to settle for less

Kyrgios throws in the towel in first round loss

Medvedev makes strong start to U.S. Open title bid

Murray’s victory hopes go down the toilet after Tsitsipas bathroom break

Osaka the entertainer kicks off U.S. Open title defence with straight sets win

Forgotten man Murray gives Tsitsipas match to remember

Former champion Stephens overcomes Keys in first round thriller

Halep makes winning return to Grand Slam action at U.S. Open

Gauff battles past Linette to advance at the U.S. Open

Flawless Rublev downs qualifier Karlovic in U.S. Open first round

Cilic retires for first time in more than 800 matches

Isner sent packing in first round by Nakashima

Anderson belts down 49 aces in first-round win

Suarez Navarro given standing ovation as she bows out of U.S. Open

After year away, excited fans return to U.S. Open but confront long lines

Brady and Ostapenko among Monday withdrawals from U.S. Open

King lauds Osaka for mental health stand, calls it ‘fantastic progress’

Djokovic seeks guiding star as slam mission begins with Rune test

U.S. Open order of play on Tuesday

Highlights of the first day at the U.S. Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, at Flushing Meadows on Monday (times GMT):

0500 MEDVEDEV AND BAUTISTA AGUT THROUGH, KYRGIOS OUT

Second seed Daniil Medvedev moved into the second round with a 6-4 6-3 6-1 victory over French veteran Richard Gasquet.

Roberto Bautista Agut beat Nick Kyrgios 6-3 6-4 6-0.

0300 SABALENKA PUSHED TO THREE SETS IN FIRST ROUND WIN

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka was given a scare against Nina Stojanovic but came through with a dominant third set performance to advance 6-4 6-7(4) 6-0.

Up next for Sabalenka is French Open semi-finalist Tamara Zidansek, who dispatched American Bernarda Pera 6-4 7-6(4).

0245 OSAKA SAILS INTO SECOND ROUND

Defending champion Naomi Osaka beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4 6-1. The third seed fired 34 winners to set up a second-round clash with Olga Danilovic.

0230 PARKS TIES U.S. OPEN SERVE SPEED RECORD

American wild card Alycia Parks, aged 20, clocked 129 mph on the speed gun on one of her serves in her first round loss to Danilovic, tying the U.S. Open serve speed record set by Venus Williams in 2007.

2338 TSITSIPAS SURVIVES MURRAY SCARE

Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was pushed to five sets by 2012 champion Andy Murray before the Greek prevailed 2-6 7-6(7) 3-6 6-3 6-4 in a marathon clash in Arthur Ashe Stadium lasting nearly five hours.

2316 GAUFF PASSES LINETTE TEST

American Coco Gauff surrendered the opening set but rallied to beat Magda Linette 5-7 6-3 6-4, while three-times U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka trailed 4-1 before winning 11 straight games to outclass Tereza Martincova 6-4 6-0.

2203 KREJCIKOVA, KERBER ADVANCE

French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova handed Astra Sharma a bagel en route to victory on her main draw debut at Flushing Meadows, winning 6-0 6-4.

Elsewhere, three-times Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber came back from 3-5 down in the third set to edge past Dayana Yastremska 3-6 6-4 7-6(3).

2033 CILIC RETIRES WITH INJURY

Marin Cilic, the 2014 champion, retired injured from his first-round match with Philipp Kohlschreiber with the contest locked at two sets each.

Earlier, 11th seed Diego Schwartzman beat Ricardas Berankis 7-5 6-3 6-3 and 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime battled past Evgeny Donskoy 7-6(0) 3-6 7-6(1) 7-6(8) while Brandon Nakashima stunned 19th seed John Isner 7-6(7) 7-6(6) 6-3.

1917 INJURED KONTA WITHDRAWS, LUCKY LOSER RAKHIMOVA IN

Briton Johanna Konta pulled out of the tournament due to a left thigh injury, with Kamilla Rakhimova replacing her in the draw as a lucky loser.

1840 RUBLEV EASES PAST VETERAN KARLOVIC

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev of Russia brushed aside 42-year-old Ivo Karlovic 6-3 7-6(3) 6-3 to reach the second round.

1820 STEPHENS BATTLES PAST KEYS

In a rematch of the 2017 final, American Sloane Stephens held her nerve to beat compatriot Madison Keys 6-3 1-6 7-6(7).

1730 MUGURUZA DOWNS VEKIC

Spanish ninth seed Garbine Muguruza held off a second-set fightback from Croatia’s Donna Vekic to win 7-6(4) 7-6(5).

1645 HALEP SURVIVES GIORGI TEST

Former world number one Simona Halep overcame a tough opener against Italian Camila Giorgi to claim a 6-4 7-6(3) win and set-up a second-round meeting with Slovakia’s Kristina Kucova.

1510 PLAY UNDERWAY

Ninth seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain began her first-round match against Croatia’s Donna Vekic at Louis Armstrong Stadium with the temperature hovering around 25 degrees Celsius (77°F).

(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal, Shrivathsa Sridhar and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ed Osmond and Clare Fallon)