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US Open: A review of Day 1's events
The final grand slam of the 2023 season has begun today and will last till the 10th of September 2023. On the men’s side of the draw, Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion but Novak Djokovic looks equally hungry to capture grand slam No. 24. On the women’s side of the draw, the World No. 1 and the defending champion, Iga Swiatek remains the favorite with other contenders in Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and the newest masters 1000 champion Coco Gauff. Let us see how the players fared on Day 1 of the US open.
Men's Draw:
Day 1 of the US Open on the men's draw did provide a feast for the viewers as there were a few 5-setters and some notable exits from the top seeds. However, it was Dominic Thiem’s return to winning ways in grand slam matches after over 900 days that caught the attention. The last time the Austrian won a grand slam match was back in the 2021 Australian Open against Nick Kyrgios.
Thiem dispatched the in-form Alexander Bublik in straight sets and the match was shrouded in controversy due to Bublik’s on-court remarks. Apparently, Bublik made slurs over Thiem’s injury by saying “ I’m sick of giving careers back to disabled people”. [1] Elsewhere, the 20-year-old Ben Shelton, who is having his breakthrough year, began well by dispatching Pedro Cachin in a 4-setter.
Most of the top seeds sailed through comfortably to the second round except for Holger Rune. Rune had a disappointing outing as he lost to Roberto Carballes Baena in a 4-setter. The No.4 seed never looked comfortable and notably, this is his sixth straight loss after making it to the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic ensured that he retained the No.1 ranking after the US Open by moving into the second round by beating Alexandre Muller with a scoreline of 6-0 6-2 6-3. Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Stefanos Tsitsipas had no issues as they dispatched their opponents in straight sets. Last year's runner up, Casper Ruud, however, had to fight it out and came through in a 4-setter against Emilio Nava with a scoreline 7-6 [5] 3-6 6-4 7-6 [5].
Sebastian Korda went out in the first round against Marton Fucsovics in a 5-setter. Korda who doesn’t seem to have his usual form after sustaining an injury in the Australian Open, fought for over 4-hours but couldn’t keep up in the deciding moments. He lost 6-7 [4] 6-4 6-7 [1] 6-4 4-6. The No. 18 seed Lorenzo Musetti lost in a 5-setter against Titouan Droguet and the No. 15 seed Felix Auger Aliassime lost in a 4-setter against Mackenzie McDonald. This was the third straight slam that Auger Aliassime lost in the very first round. The Wimbledon quarterfinalist Chris Eubanks prevailed in a 4-setter against Soonwoo Kwon.
Women's Draw:
On the women’s side of the draw, the biggest upset was the greek Maria Sakkari. Sakkari lost against Rebekah Masarova in straight sets 4-6 4-6. This was the third straight grand slam round 1 exit for Sakkari and has not made it to the round 4 in the past seven grand slams. Later, Sakkari suggested that she might need to take a break from tennis.[2]
Iga Swiatek was at her usual best as she dispatched Rebecca Peterson 6-0 6-1 in just 59 minutes. Petra Kvitova too moved into the second round by beating Cristina Bucsa in straight sets. Coco Gauff had to fight it out against Laura Siegemund in a three-setter as tempers flared during the match with Gauff wanting to play faster on her serve while Siegemund was happy slowing down the pace. Ultimately, Gauff prevailed by winning the second and third set.
Ajla Tomljanović made a winning comeback from her injury by beating Panna Udvardy in three sets 3-6 6-2 6-4 and Carolina Wozniacki with a wild card beat Tatiana Prozorova in straight sets 6-3 6-2. The No. 4 seed, Elena Rybakina had a perfect start for her campaign as she beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-1. Victoria Azarenka, Belinda Benic and the French Open finalist Karolina Muchova beat their opponents in straight sets without much trouble.
References
- Translation of Alexander Bublik’s on court remarks as provided by DW Sports. Link: https://twitter.com/dw_sports/status/1696475628294312251
- Video of Maria Sakkari suggesting she needed to take a break from tennis. Link: https://twitter.com/FS_Tennis1/status/1696286138120675627
- Main Image Credits: US open Link: https://www.usopen.org
- Thumbnail Image Credits: US Open Link: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/photos/index.html