Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff loved snug wins within the first spherical of the US Open, whereas Dominic Thiem bid a closing farewell to the Grand Slam the place he loved his best triumph.
Djokovic, seeking to turn into the primary participant to seize 25 Grand Slam titles, capped the night session below the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory over Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot on Monday night time.
Three weeks after successful the singles title on the Paris Video games, Djokovic toted his rackets and kit in a pair of gold-coloured baggage onto the courtroom the place the group gave him a hero’s welcome.
However the Serb’s golden contact was decidedly missing within the late-night match as he struggled with serve and racked up almost twice as many unforced errors as winners.
For all that, he had greater than sufficient weapons to deal with Moldovan Albot of their first tour conflict and declare a document 78th win at Arthur Ashe below a closed roof.
“I used to be not conscious of it, to be sincere with you,” Djokovic mentioned of the centre courtroom milestone.
“It’s positively the loudest stadium we have now within the historical past of our sport. The night time classes are one of the best on this planet right here.”
No man has received extra matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium than Novak Djokovic! pic.twitter.com/kw3mNORpjH
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2024
‘I’m shutting down’
However the Serb later bemoaned the late-night begin.
“Nicely, I don’t suppose that ageing helps actually staying so late and taking part in very late,” the 37-year-old informed reporters after the match.
“I can really feel, you already know, my batteries are low now. I’m shutting down.
“You simply have to simply accept it, I suppose … I like taking part in night time matches, however I really like to start out first.
“So hopefully I get extra probabilities to play at night time and am scheduled first so we will begin at a extra first rate time and end at a extra first rate time.
“I suppose, for the followers, there’s something particular about late-night finishes, notably post-midnight. For us, I don’t know. It’s probably not what you need however should you get a W [win], then it’s all good.”
Within the twilight of a record-smashing profession, Djokovic is eyeing a number of milestones in New York, together with a fifth title at Flushing Meadows to match the skilled period document held by Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.
He additionally hopes to turn into the primary back-to-back winner within the males’s singles since Federer’s run of 5 successive titles from 2004 to 2008.
Straightforward wins for Gauff and Sabalenka
In the meantime, house favorite and defending girls’s champion Gauff cruised previous France’s Varvara Gracheva 6-2 6-0 on Ashe, shrugging off disappointing performances in Toronto and Cincinnati to make a quick begin on the 12 months’s closing main.
“The final couple of weeks had been robust and I used to be like, ‘I’ve to do that and do this’ however I don’t should show something to anybody besides myself,” Gauff mentioned.
“This complete week or two weeks are nearly proving all of the expectations that I’ve on myself.”
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion and one of many pretournament favourites, shone below the lights as she beat Australian Priscilla Hon 6-3 6-3.
Final 12 months’s runner-up arrived in New York contemporary off her triumph in Cincinnati and is seeking to turn into the primary lady to seize the season’s two hardcourt majors in the identical 12 months since Angelique Kerber in 2016.
China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen kicked off the matches at Louis Armstrong Stadium with a 4-6 6-4 6-2 victory over Amanda Anisimova, whereas her compatriot Wang Yafan superior after ninth seed Maria Sakkari retired with damage trailing 6-2.
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova and three-time US Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka joined seeded gamers Madison Keys, Paula Badosa and Elina Svitolina in advancing within the girls’s draw.
Shelton ends Thiem’s Grand Slam journey
It was the top of the street for Austrian Thiem, who’s retiring on the finish of the season attributable to a wrist situation that derailed his profession, because the 2020 champion fell 6-4 6-2 6-2 to American Ben Shelton.
Diego Schwartzman additionally waved goodbye to Flushing Meadows after the Argentinian’s closing look on the match ended with a 6-7(2) 6-2 6-2 6-1 loss to Frenchman Gael Monfils.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who misplaced the ultimate to Thiem 4 years in the past, started his newest bid to elevate a primary main title with a 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2 win over fellow German Maximilian Marterer.
Taylor Fritz flew previous Argentinian Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5 6-1 6-2 as he launched his quest to turn into the primary American man to win a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick triumphed on the 2003 US Open.
He was joined within the second spherical by Cincinnati runner-up Frances Tiafoe after the twentieth seed battled previous fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 6-3 4-6 7-5.
Denmark’s Holger Rune was an early casualty, the fifteenth seed despatched packing by American Brandon Nakashima 6-2 6-1 6-4, whereas Casper Ruud of Norway dispatched Bu Yunchaokete 7-6(2) 6-2 6-2.
