New York: Novak Djokovic suffered in sweltering US Open conditions but held on to reach the second round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics here, Tuesday.
Also advancing was Roger Federer who made light of energy-sapping conditions to brush past Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in his opening match.
Where other players had slogged through long rallies as the temperature hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Federer kept his time on court to a minimum with a masterclass of serve-and-volley tennis, pulling the industrious World No.177 from one side of the court to the other at will.
“I’m happy to be back in New York, healthy – the last couple of years have been difficult so it’s nice to be back, feeling really good,” Federer said courtside after the win.
Federer will next meet Frenchman Benoit Paire who beat Denis Novak 7-6(8-6), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7-5).
Djokovic, the Wimbledon champion, received a brutal welcome back as soaring temperatures and suffocating humidity prompted organisers to offer the men a 10-minute mid-match heat break for the first time ever. They both took ice baths, but were not allowed to meet the coaches.
Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki played in the heat of the day, but the weather oppressing so many seemed to suit the Dane as she defeated 2011 champion Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-2.
“I just tried to cool down between games, used ice,” said Wozniacki, who also imagined she was on the beach ‘margarita in hand’.
Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion seeded 10th, said the 10-minute heat break helped her in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 over Germany’s Andrea Petkovic.
Yuki loses
Yuki Bhambri once again failed to clear the first round hurdle of a Grand Slam losing to Frenchman Pierre Hugues Herbert in straight sets at the US Open here Tuesday. He lost 3-6, 6-7(3-7), 5-7 in a match that lasted nearly two-and-half-hours. The India No.1 did put up a fight in the second and third sets but that wasn’t enough to beat the World No.75.
Other results
Angelique Kerber bt Margarita Gasparyan 7-6(7-5), 6-3
Caroline Garcia bt Johanna Konta 6-2, 6-3
Monica Puig bt Stefanie Voegele 6-0, 6-0
Petra Kvitova bt Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 6-4
