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NEW YORK — Andy Murray is alert that Stefanos Tsitsipas has a increasing estimation for pushing the boundaries erstwhile it comes to taking breaks during a match. Murray expected that to beryllium an contented during their first-round lucifer astatine the U.S. Open – and, erstwhile it was, that didn’t beryllium well. Not astatine all.
Murray figures determination was capable for him to woody with successful Monday’s precocious vigor and humidity: He’s 34. He’s got an artificial hip. He’s ranked 112th aft a bid of wellness issues. At 1 point, helium tumbled to the ground, losing his equilibrium successful sweat-soaked shoes and leaving splotches connected the bluish tribunal from his soggy clothing.
So arsenic the contention stretched to astir 5 hours, Murray did not admit that Tsitsipas took a aesculapian timeout aft the 3rd acceptable and made a lengthy sojourn to the locker country aft the fourth. Following an entertaining, back-and-forth 2-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 nonaccomplishment to Tsitsipas, Murray complained astir what helium considered unfair gamesmanship by the French Open runner-up and announced: “I mislaid respect for him.”
“It’s nonsense. And helium knows it, arsenic well,” said Murray, who is astir a decennary – and a brace of hep operations – removed from a U.S. Open championship.
Told of Murray’s displeasure, the just-turned-23 Tsitsipas said: “If there’s thing that helium has to archer me, we should speak, the 2 of us, to benignant of recognize what went wrong. I don’t deliberation I broke immoderate rules.”
The full happening lent immoderate intrigue to the proceedings arsenic the year’s past Grand Slam tourney got underway with fans successful the stands astatine afloat capableness – the combined attendance for the time and nighttime sessions was 53,783 – a twelvemonth aft each spectators were banned due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic.
“When we didn’t person a crowd,” reigning champion Naomi Osaka said aft beating Marie Bouzkova, 6-4, 6-1, astatine night, “I cognize it felt rather lonely for me.”
That was Osaka’s archetypal Grand Slam lucifer since she pulled retired of the French Open successful precocious May for a intelligence wellness break. She played alternatively well, compiling a 34-10 borderline successful full winners and redeeming each 8 interruption points Bouzkova earned.
With exits for Murray and 2014 champion Marin Cilic, who stopped playing due to the fact that of an wounded successful the 5th acceptable against Philipp Kohlschreiber, the lone antheral near successful the gully aft Day One with adjacent 1 Grand Slam rubric is top-seeded Novak Djokovic.
He volition debut Tuesday nighttime arsenic helium tries to interruption a necktie for the men’s people of 20 majors with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and go the archetypal antheral since Rod Laver successful 1969 to implicit a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Monday’s past lucifer successful Ashe featured No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, a two-time large finalist, against Richard Gasquet.
Earlier Monday, determination were victories for 2017 champion Sloane Stephens, who edged Madison Keys, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7), successful a rematch of their last 4 years ago; aggregate Grand Slam rubric winners and erstwhile satellite No. 1s Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza; 2020 runner-up Victoria Azarenka and 17-year-old American Coco Gauff.
“I conscionable remember, like, past year, not needfully being bored, but it was conscionable truthful quiescent for the U.S. Open,” the 21st-seeded Gauff said aft advancing to look Stephens with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 comeback against Magda Linette. “I decidedly missed the buzz.”
Some spectators griped astir delays getting in, which the U.S. Tennis Association said were mostly caused by the clip it took to inspect bags astatine the introduction gates.
The USTA added that checking for impervious of vaccination required to be the lawsuit this twelvemonth went smoothly and did not lend successful a important mode to the agelong lines.
Those fortunate capable to beryllium successful Ashe roseate and roared successful unison erstwhile Murray smacked a forehand victor to assertion the 3rd set. He raised his close manus implicit his caput and leaned guardant arsenic helium shouted, “I’m not … done! Let’s go!”
But it was Tsitsipas who wasn’t finished. He got attraction from a trainer connected his near ft aft that set, past headed disconnected tribunal again a acceptable aboriginal for respective minutes.
After helium got breached close distant and fell down 2-0 successful the fifth, Murray offered this reflection connected court: “It’s ne'er taken maine that agelong to spell to the toilet. Ever.”
Murray explained aboriginal helium thought the interruptions played a role.
“It’s conscionable disappointing, due to the fact that I consciousness it influenced the result of the match. I’m not saying I needfully triumph that match, for sure, but it had power connected what was happening aft those breaks,” helium said. “You could reason that I shouldn’t fto that impact me. But genuinely it is difficult, like, erstwhile you’re playing specified a brutal lucifer successful those conditions to person those breaks. Physically you can’t halt that from affecting you. Mentally, yes, but physically you can’t.”
The humidity astatine 70% and the somesthesia successful the low-80s Fahrenheit required a spot much than Murray could give. He is simply a erstwhile No. 1 who won Wimbledon doubly successful summation to his 2012 rubric successful New York, but his assemblage has not held up.
Given his property and wellness history, it was singular that Murray was retired determination astatine all, fto unsocial coming adjacent to becoming, astatine No. 112 this week, the lowest-ranked antheral to upset an hostile successful the apical 3 astatine the U.S. Open since the computerized ATP rankings began successful 1973.
After a third-round exit astatine Wimbledon aboriginal past month, Murray sounded alternatively glum astir his future, frustrated that helium couldn’t signifier arsenic overmuch arsenic he’d similar to beryllium decently competitive. On Saturday, Murray opined that taking connected Tsitsipas would beryllium “a good, bully trial for maine to spot benignant of wherever my game’s at.”
He seemed to walk that test. He overmuch alternatively would person won.
Kevin Anderson took a agelong way to the 2nd round.
The 2017 U.S. Open runner-up outlasted Jiri Vesely, 7-6 (1), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), successful a lucifer that lasted 4 hours, 22 minutes.
Anderson, who mislaid to Rafael Nadal successful Flushing Meadows successful his archetypal Grand Slam final, is nary alien to agelong matches.
The South African bushed John Isner, 26-24, successful the 5th acceptable of the 2018 Wimbledon semifinals, a lucifer that lasted 6:36 and helped pave the mode for that tourney to adhd a fifth-set tiebreaker.
STEPHENS OUSTS CLOSE FRIEND KEYS
Stephens and Keys are adjacent friends who past week were expected to beryllium signifier partners.
Once the U.S. Open gully was unveiled, those plans were scrapped.
The Americans were drawn to look each different successful the archetypal round, a rematch of Stephens’ triumph successful the 2017 final.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my God,’” Stephens said. “So, it’s rather annoying. But, again, evidently Maddie is similar my champion person connected tour, truthful it’s unfortunate.”
Stephens came retired connected the winning broadside again, and Keys said she had a feeling she and Stephens would beryllium paired successful the archetypal round. She played overmuch amended than successful their final, erstwhile Stephens routed her, 6-3, 6-0.
This time, neither subordinate was adjacent seeded for their lucifer that took 2 hours, 10 minutes.
“It seems similar it was a 100 years ago, not conscionable four,” Keys said. “Yeah, the satellite is evidently a wholly antithetic spot present arsenic acold arsenic regular beingness goes. But past besides with tennis, a batch has changed.
“I deliberation Sloane and I person had immoderate monolithic ups since past and we person besides had immoderate downs, but I deliberation today’s lucifer showed we inactive some truly person a precocious level of tennis left.”
BRADY WITHDRAWS
Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady withdrew from the tourney due to the fact that of an injury.
Brady, a erstwhile UCLA standout who was a semifinalist past twelvemonth successful Flushing Meadows, has not played competitively since being forced to discontinue from her second-round lucifer against Jelena Ostapenko successful Cincinnati. The U.S. Tennis Association did not specify her injury.
Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, besides pulled retired Monday for aesculapian reasons.
On the men’s side, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga besides withdrew. The 2008 Australian Open finalist has a close limb injury.
JUDGMENT-FREE ZONE
There are nary enactment judges astatine the U.S. Open this year, conscionable seat umpires, with Hawk-Eye Live physics line-calling utilized for each courts.
Last year, lone the 2 main courts had enactment judges, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium. During a lucifer astatine Ashe against Pablo Carreño Busta, Djokovic was disqualified for hitting a shot that inadvertently struck a enactment justice successful the pharynx aft a crippled ended.
English (US) ·