The US Open has started with a bang! Monday’s action brought both thrills and upsets from the very first day of the tournament. The level of play was nothing short of impressive, and this ranges from dominant displays by Djokovic to emotional derbies for Dominic Thiem. Novak Djokovic, going for Grand Slam title No. 25, finished a convincing job in his opener against Radu Albot. The world No. 2 closed the 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 contest. Still, it was a solid performance, and he will be one of the tough contenders as the tournament progresses.
US Open Upsets Galore
No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev did have a more challenging match against German compatriot Maximilian Marterer. Zverev scraped through in four sets: 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2. Marterer tried to mix defense with occasional forays of aggression and succeeded in stretching Zverev to nearly three hours. Hardly flawless, Zverev’s win indicated that if he is to go further, he will have to fine-tune his own game.
Dominic Thiem’s Grand Slam run ends in heartbreak. The upset-minded 13th seed, Ben Shelton, defeats Thiem 6-4, 6-2. The 2020 US Open winner, Thiem, will retire at the end of 2024. Shelton was brilliant, taking 85% of the points at the net while showcasing a big forehand. The victory sets up a romantic underdog story for Shelton as he progresses in the tournament.
Equally unforgiving was the second seed in the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka, who dispatched Priscilla Hon 6-3, 6-3. Sabalenka was hammering the ball on her way to winning 59% of the points behind Hon’s second serve. Defending champion Coco Gauff also progressed with apparent ease. She overcame a spirited start by Varvara Gracheva to win 6-2, 6-0. Gauff will have to keep at the right level of sharpness to fend off challengers if she is to win back-to-back titles.
US Open Sakkari’s Aborted Finish
Maria Sakkari had a rather disappointing end to her tournament. The ninth-seeded player handed her win to Yafan after she decided to pull out of the game. For what is considered to have been a rather good showing for the player, leading up to the event, it was a big letdown for the player.
Elsewhere, sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev came through a difficult test against Thiago Seyboth Wild over three sets, winning 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-5. Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud defeated Yunchaokete Bu 7-6(2), 6-2, and ninth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov easily handled Kyrian Jacquet, winning 6-3.
The first day of the US Open has already brought excitement to an incredibly high bar. Even with all the slips and imperfections, Djokovic and Zverev are assuredly favorites. Added to this are Ben Shelton and the fine play by constant contenders such as Sabalenka and Gauff. The tournament looks set to just throw more drama, skills, and moments to remember into the mix.
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