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Order restored at US Open as Djokovic, Federer, Wozniacki and Sharapova advance

Roar Guru
29th August, 2018
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Novak Djokovic of (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
Roar Guru
29th August, 2018
0

After women’s world number one Simona Halep crashed out of the US Open on the first day, order was restored at Flushing Meadows on a mostly upset-free Day 2.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova were among those to advance to the second round.

Reigning Australian Open champion Wozniacki was the first of the quartet to advance when she defeated 2011 champion Samantha Stosur in straight sets in the first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the day, during which the temperatures soared into the mid-30s.

Hot weather is a common thing at Grand Slam tournaments, most notably the Australian Open which is held in the middle of the Australian summer when temperatures can reach upwards of 40 degrees on any given day.

In New York it was no different as Stosur struggled through the conditions, comparing them to those encountered in her native Queensland and even going as far to say they were more unbeatable than those at Melbourne Park. She warned officials post-match that such conditions could become very dangerous for players.

But she refused to blame the hot weather for her straight-sets defeat, insisting that she still played a good match despite racking up 34 unforced errors and eight double faults against Wozniacki, who she said “was number two in the world for a reason”.

Caroline Wozniacki

Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

So brutal were the conditions that, during her first round loss against Johanna Larsson, French player Alize Cornet was at one point seen on camera briefly removing her shirt and switching it around after she realised that she had put it on the wrong way round, for which she was pinged for a code violation.

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This continued the recent harsh treatment of female players in the sport, after the French Tennis Association announced that they would ban the famous catsuit Serena Williams sported at the French Open earlier this year. The 36-year-old American returned to some more conventional clothing in New York, having sported a black tutu during her first round win over Magda Linette.

Cornet’s loss meant she missed out on a second round shot at 2016 champion Angelique Kerber, who defeated Russian Margarita Gasparyan in her opening round match on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

2006 champion Maria Sharapova was also victorious, as was former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, who required three sets to get past German veteran Andrea Petkovic. If they win their respective second round matches against Sorana Cirstea and Taylor Townsend, they will face off in the third round.

Fifth seed Petra Kvitova, whose five titles are currently the most of anyone on the WTA Tour, defeated Belgian Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets to edge closer to a third round showdown against either 2010 finalist Vera Zvonareva, or rising Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka, who claimed her first career title in Connecticut last week.

Ajla Tomljanovic won her All-Australian showdown against Lizzette Cabrera to edge closer to a likely third round showdown against Caroline Wozniacki.

In the men’s draw, sixth seed Novak Djokovic also bore the brunt of the brutal conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium, requiring four sets to defeat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics but not before spending some much-needed time in an ice bath between the third and fourth sets, as well as asking for a sick bucket during the second set, which he lost 3-6.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic of Serbia (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)

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The Serb’s next match will be against American Tennys Sandgren, whom he defeated in the first round en route to his fourth Wimbledon title last month. The Australian Open quarter-finalist advanced by defeating another Serb, Viktor Troicki, in straight sets.

Five-times champion Roger Federer also made it through to the second round, though with minimal fuss, as he defeated Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets. He faces Benoit Paire next, after which he could face Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in the third round.

Kyrgios’ first round win over Radu Albot on Louis Armstrong Stadium wasn’t without its controversy, as he complained of the hot weather conditions during the second set, which he dropped 6-2.

Nonetheless, the 23-year-old advanced to the second round, where he will face Pierre-Hughes Herbert, to whom he was forced to retire against at Wimbledon last year due to a hip injury.

If both Kyrgios and Federer win their second round matches as expected, then you can bet on a full house at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday night (Sunday morning AEST) for what will be the pair’s most important meeting yet, with all three previous matches between the pair having gone the distance, each requiring a final set tiebreak for a winner to be decided.

Roger Federer

Roger Federer of Switzerland prepares to serve. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

The extreme weather conditions saw six retirements in the men’s draw, including Russian veteran Mikhail Youzhny, who will retire from professional tennis at the end of the year, and Serbian 32nd seed Filip Krajinovic, who retired at 1-4 down in the final set of his match against Australian Matt Ebden.

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Ebden’s truncated win was another highlight on a successful day for the Aussies, with Alex de Minaur and John Millman both barely forced to sweat in their respective straight-set wins over Taro Daniel and Jenson Brooksby.

2014 champion Marin Cilic, a potential third round opponent for de Minaur, progressed when his opponent, Marius Copil, retired down two sets to love and level at 1-all in the third set.

The stage is set for what should be a huge Wednesday (Thursday morning AEST) at Flushing Meadows, with Andy Murray completing his set of facing Fernando Verdasco at each of the four Majors, as well as Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal highlighting the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Star power will also be on display on Louis Armstrong Stadium with Venus Williams and Juan Martin del Potro among those in action in the daytime, while the night session is highlighted by former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza’s clash against Karolina Muchova.

Australia’s best two hopes, Ashleigh Barty and Daria Gavrilova, will each face tough asks when they take on Lucie Safarova and Victoria Azarenka respectively.

Matches to watch on Day 3
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Day session – play starts at 12:00pm (2:00am AEST)
[3] Sloane Stephens (USA) vs Anhelina Kalinina (UKR)
Andy Murray (GBR) vs [31] Fernando Verdasco (ESP)

Night session – play starts at 7:00pm (9:00am AEST)
[17] Serena Williams (USA) vs Carina Witthoft (GER)
[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs Vasek Pospisil (CAN)

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Louis Armstrong Stadium
Day session – play starts at 11:00am (1:00am AEST)
Tatjana Maria (GER) vs [7] Elina Svitolina (UKR)

Not before 1:00pm (3:00am AEST)
Camila Giorgi (ITA) vs [16] Venus Williams (USA)
[3] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) vs Denis Kudla (USA)

Night session – play starts at 7:00pm (9:00am AEST)
[18] Jack Sock (USA) vs Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO)
[12] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) vs Karolina Muchova (CZE)

Grandstand
Day session – play starts at 11:00am (1:00am AEST)
Ugo Humbert (FRA) vs Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
[9] Julia Goerges (GER) vs Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)
[11] John Isner (USA) vs Nicolas Jarry (CHI)

Court 17
Play starts at 11:00am (1:00am AEST)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) vs [25] Daria Gavrilova (AUS)
[9] Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Steve Johnson (USA)
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) vs [5] Kevin Anderson (RSA)
Lucie Safarova (CZE) vs [18] Ashleigh Barty (AUS)

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