EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
* Rain postpones Federer contest, halts others
* No Top Ten spot for Nishikori after stunning loss to Evans
* Gulbis shocked by Haider-Maurer, loses Top Thirty chance
* Nadal cruises past Harrison
* Ferrer eases past Kyrgios, moves closer to #3
* Dodig wins marathon over Verdasco, who will lose his Top Thirty spot
* Tomic wins in five sets; probably one victory from Top Fifty
* Cuevas unable to complete comeback match, but opponent Tipsarevic still needs more to stay Top 25
* Bellucci still stuck below #100
TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS
U. S. Open
Rafael Nadal extended his career-best hardcourt win streak to 16 straight with a defeat of Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in an opening-round rout at the US Open. The No. 2 Spaniard who owns nine trophies this season now has a shot at the year-end No. 1 ranking. The defeat left Harrison, ranked 97th, standing 0-20 against top 10 opponents.
Nadal achieved his 54th win of the season against just five defeats, taking victory with 28 winners. “I just played very well, I’m happy the way I was playing. I don’t know if it was my best or not, but was very good because I was able to win.
Roger Federer, a five-time champion 2004-08, had his opening match delayed by rain which had been predicted to arrive. Japan’s 11th seed Kei Nishikori on Monday became the first upset just a few hours after the start when he lost to British number 179 qualifier Dan Evans 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. French open finalist David Ferrer, the fourth seed, beat Australian teenager Nick Kyrglos 7-5, 6-3, 6-2.
Nishikori, who reached the third round a year ago, lost in just under two hours as he dropped serve six times to the number 179, committing 20 unforced errors in defeat. “It’s not easy to lose the first round in a Grand Slam, but I didn’t play well and he played well,” he said. French eighth seed Richard Gasquet beat US journeyman Michael Russell 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Australian Bernard Tomic needed almost four hours to fight past Albert Ramos 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, while veteran Russian Nikolay Davydenko went to the limit against Rhyne Williams of the US, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5, 6-0.
SCORES
MONDAY
US OPEN
Singles – First Round
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [WC] R Harrison (USA) 64 62 62
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) d [Q] N Kyrgios (AUS) 75 63 62
[8] R Gasquet (FRA) d M Russell (USA) 63 64 62
[Q] D Evans (GBR) d [11] K Nishikori (JPN) 64 64 62
[18] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d P Cuevas (URU) 63 67(5) 63 ret. (right knee)
[19] T Robredo (ESP) d M Matosevic (AUS) 63 67(6) 63 62
[23] F Lopez (ESP) d [Q] F Serra (FRA) 67(4) 62 63 63
I Dodig (CRO) d [27] F Verdasco (ESP) 63 75 16 46 63
A Haider-Maurer (AUT) d [30] E Gulbis (LAT) 36 63 16 76(4) 64
[32] D Tursunov (RUS) d A Bedene (SLO) 75 46 63 60
B Tomic (AUS) d A Ramos (ESP) 63 36 46 76(1) 63
B Klahn (USA) d K De Schepper (FRA) 67(5) 62 76(0) 76(4)
R Bautista Agut (ESP) d T Bellucci (BRA) 63 62 62
D Sela (ISR) vs A Kuznetsov (RUS) 76(2) 63 67(2) 57 64
N Davydenko (RUS) d [WC] R Williams (USA) 63 46 16 75 60
[Q] S Robert (FRA) d [Q] A Olivetti (FRA) 63 63 64
[Q] F Dancevic (CAN) d R Haase (NED) 76(5) 36 75 76(3)
[Q] M Kukushkin (KAZ) d [LL] A Martin (SVK) 64 76(2) 75
[WC] G Rufin (FRA) d J Struff (GER) 76(4) 63 26 26 61
_______________________
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
* Agnieszka Radwanska loses only three games to open Open
* Sister Urszula also wins, knocking Begu below #75
* Venus comes to life to upset #12 Flipkens
* Rybarikova surprised by Lucky Loser Mayr-Achleitner; won’t hit Top Thirty
* Lisicki closes in on Top Fifteen after win over Dushevina
* Kanepi overcomes rust to beat King
* Mattek-Sands beats Johansson to hit Top Fifty
* Kleybanova’s comeback off to good start with win over Puig
* Bouchard on brink of Top Fifty
* Keys may lose Top Forty spot after loss to Jankovic
TODAY’S WOMEN’S NEWS
U. S. Open
Serena Williams started her title defense with a 6-0, 6-1 crushing of former French Open winner Francesca Schiavone, with the top seed winning the first ten games, But Williams admitted: “I was nervous before the match, I was really tight.”
Third seed Agnieszka Radwanska crushed Spain’s Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-2. Fifth seed Li Na, the former French Open winner, beat Olga Govortsova 6-2, 6-2. German eighth seed Angelique Kerber defeated Czech Lucie Hradecka 6-1, 6-1; Jelena Jankovic eliminated American Madison Keys 6-3, 6-4
Former champion Venus Williams defied her 33 years and fragile fitness to upset Belgian 12th seed Kirsten Flipkens 6-1, 6-2. Australian Open semi-finalist Sloane Stephens, the number 15, need to rally past Mandy Minella 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).
Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki, seeded 16th, started with a win over Vera Dushevina 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).Laura Robson of Britain overcame recent injuries to return to winning form, beating Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino 7-5, 6-0.
Rain interrupted late night play shortly have Williams had taken her easy win as weather which had been predicted all day finally began arriving.
SCORES
MONDAY
US Open
Singles – First Round
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 60 61
(3) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Sílvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) 61 62
(5) Li Na (CHN) d. Olga Govortsova (BLR) 62 62
(8) Angelique Kerber (GER) d. Lucie Hradecka (CZE) 61 61
(9) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Madison Keys (USA) 63 64
Venus Williams (USA) d. (12) Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 61 62
(15) Sloane Stephens (USA) d. Mandy Minella (LUX) 46 63 76(5)
(16) Sabine Lisicki (GER) d. (Q) Vera Dushevina (RUS) 62 76(3)
(18) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. Lauren Davis (USA) 60 60
(19) Sorana Cirstea (ROU) d. (Q) Sharon Fichman (CAN) 75 57 61
(23) Jamie Hampton (USA) d. Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 64 62
(24) Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) d. Polona Hercog (SLO) 62 64
(25) Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (WC) Vania King (USA) 46 76(4) 61
(LL) Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) d. (29) Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 76(2) 63
(30) Laura Robson (GBR) d. Lourdes Domínguez Lino (ESP) 75 60
(32) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. (WC) Virginie Razzano (FRA) 75 60
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 61 16 61
Urszula Radwanska (POL) d. Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 61 63
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. Mathilde Johansson (FRA) 63 61
Zheng Jie (CHN) d. Kiki Bertens (NED) 61 63
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) d. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 46 64 75
Paula Ormaechea (ARG) d. Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) 63 76(7)
Caroline Garcia (FRA) d. (WC) Shelby Rogers (USA) 63 62
Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) d. Monica Niculescu (ROU) 64 63
Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) d. Olga Puchkova (RUS) 61 60
Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. Petra Cetkovska (CZE) 16 64 61
María-Teresa Torró-Flor (ESP) d. Marina Erakovic (NZL) 60 64
Anna Schmiedlova (SVK) d. Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 61 57 76(4)
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) d. Monica Puig (PUR) 64 36 75
(Q) Kurumi Nara (JPN) d. Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) 62 62
(Q) Coco Vandeweghe (USA) d. (Q) Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 64 76(5)
(WC) Ashleigh Barty (AUS) d. Estrella Cabeza Candela (ESP) 61 64
Topics: Atp, Federer, nadal, Serena Williams, Tennis, US Open, Wta