Tennis: Alcaraz, Medvedev ease into US Open second round

NEW YORK -- Carlos Alcaraz launched the defense of his US Open crown with a brisk victory after his opponent suffered an injury on Tuesday as third seed Daniil Medvedev strolled into the second round with a quick-fire win.

Alcaraz, returning to the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where he lifted his first Grand Slam as a teenager a year ago, was always in control after Germany's Dominik Koepfer rolled his left ankle badly in the opening game.

Koepfer tried to continue despite being in obvious discomfort, but finally called it quits while trailing 3-2 in the second set after dropping the first 6-2.

"That's not the best way to get through into another round," said world number one Alcaraz. "But I have to say on my side I was playing great."

Alcaraz, who faces Lloyd Harris of South Africa in the second round, is on course to face 2021 US Open champion Medvedev in the semi-finals.

Medvedev opened his account on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Hungary's Attila Balazs in just 74 minutes.

The Russian will face Australia's Christopher O'Connell in the second round on Thursday for a spot in the last 32.

"That's probably the fastest three-set match I played," Medvedev said after his blistering demolition of Balazs.

While Alcaraz and Medvedev cruised into the second round, Karen Khachanov -- a semi-finalist at last year's US Open -- was on the wrong end of a first-round upset.

The 11th-seeded Russian was bounced out in straight sets by American world No.89 Michael Mmoh, losing 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

Germany's 12th seed Alexander Zverev, a beaten finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2020, never looked in danger of following Khachanov out of the tournament, registering a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Australia's Aleksandar Vukic.

Jannik Sinner, the Italian sixth seed, trounced Yannick Hanfmann of Germany 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.

In other men's games on Tuesday, British veteran Andy Murray downed France's Corentin Moutet 6-2, 7-5, 6-3, in a match that saw a bungled attempt to use the US Open's new video review technology for the first time.

Chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell attempted to deploy the system after Moutet requested a review following a double-bounce call.

The umpire was forced to abandon the attempt however after discovering officials were unable to properly access footage of the incident.

"I don't know how the technology works," Murray said. "But it obviously didn't go to plan in a pretty important moment of the match. So, yeah, it would be good if they could get that fixed."

Meanwhile, China sealed a notable first when Wu Yibing beat Serbia's Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to join compatriot Zhang Zhizhen in the second round.

It is the first time in tennis's Open era that two Chinese men have reached the second round of the same Grand Slam tournament.

 - Ailing Jabeur advances -

In the women's draw meanwhile another semi-finalist from 2022 also made an early exit, with French seventh seed Caroline Garcia slumping to a 6-4, 6-1 reverse against Chinese qualifier Wang Yafan.

Meanwhile second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the reigning Australian Open champion, progressed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Ukraine-born Belgian Maryna Zanevska.

The end of the match was tinged with controversy as Zanevska declined to shake hands with Sabalenka in protest at Belarus's military support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I know I'm representing Belgium but all my family are in Ukraine," Zanevska told AFP.

"I have family fighting on the frontline. And I think if I shake her hand it would be the same as spitting in the face of them."

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, desperate to land her first Grand Slam title after losing in three major championship finals in 2022 and 2023, survived a medical scare before scraping past Colombia's Camila Osorio.

The 29-year-old fifth seed looked out of sorts throughout her 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) win, at one stage in the opening set complaining of breathing difficulties before taking an extended medical timeout.

Jabeur has played only one tournament since being upset in last month's Wimbledon final by unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova.

Vondrousova, seeded ninth in New York, cruised into the second round on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-0 win over South Korean qualifier Han Na-Lae.

Third seed Jessica Pegula meanwhile kept home hopes alive with a clinical 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Italy's Camila Giorgi.

But there was disappointment for American icon Venus Williams, competing in her record-extending 24th US Open.

Williams was bounced out 6-1, 6-1 by Belgium's Greet Minnen -- who was just a few weeks old when Williams reached her first US Open final back in 1997.

Agence France-Presse

John Isner to retire from tennis after US Open

NEW YORK -- Big-serving American John Isner, who famously took part in the longest tennis match ever played at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, said Wednesday he will retire from professional tennis after competing in this year's US Open.

Isner -- who defeated France's Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/3), 70-68 in an 11-hour epic that took three days to complete at Wimbledon 13 years ago -- confirmed his retirement on social media.

"After 17+ years on the ATP Tour, it's time to say goodbye to professional tennis," Isner wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "The US Open will be my final event."

"This transition won't be easy but I'm looking forward to every second of it with my amazing family," said Isner, who has four young children with his wife, Maddie. "Time to lace 'em up one last time."

Isner, 38, was a quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2011 and 2018.

He is the ATP Tour's all-time leader in aces with 14,411 going into the US Open, which starts on Monday.

He was the top-ranked American in the year-end rankings for nine straight years from 2012-2020 and finished inside the top 20 in the world rankings for a decade from 2010-2019.

Isner has won 16 ATP singles titles and eight doubles titles. He was a US Davis Cup regular, posting 15 singles victories and two doubles victories in 18 appearances in the international tournament.

All but two of his ATP singles victories came in the United States, including a 2018 triumph over Alexander Zverev to win the Miami Masters title.

He has won six titles in Atlanta and four in Newport.

But it is arguably his record-breaking epic with Mahut at Wimbledon for which Isner will be best remembered.

Isner hammered down a record 113 aces in the course of the match, which concluded with a jaw-dropping 138-game fifth set.

"Those numbers are etched in my memory," Isner said in an interview years after.

"It's a basketball score, 70-68. It always reminds me of that. I'll never forget these two numbers for as long as I live. It's just crazy."

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Raducanu shrugs off injury fear ahead of US Open defence

Defending champion Emma Raducanu shrugged off fears about her US Open fitness after breaking down in tears during a practice session at Flushing Meadows on Friday.

The British teenager needed to be consoled by coach Dmitry Tursunov during Friday's practice as she appeared to tearfully complain about a problem with her right hand.

However speaking to reporters later, the 19-year-old brushed off the incident, insisting she had "no concerns" ahead of Monday's opening round.

"I think that today, the practice, I had, like, a few small things, got a couple of blisters, a bit of a niggle here and there," Raducanu said. 

"It's just one of those weird days where you feel a bit like nothing... I don't know. You just feel a bit out of it.

"Can't really explain myself, to be honest. I'm sure everyone in this room has probably had a day like that. It is what it is."

Pressed further about her fitness, she replied: "I mean, I have no concerns of, like, an issue, no."

Raducanu, who has had repeated problems with blisters this season, made tennis history last year after becoming the first qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam singles title.

The 11th seed, who opens the defence of her title on Tuesday against French veteran Alize Cornet, said she felt no additional pressure as reigning champion. 

"I think you guys are thinking probably more about pressure and ranking than me," she told reporters.

"I think defending a title is just something that the press makes up. I'm just taking it one match at a time. Like, every single player is very capable in this draw. I just focus on what I'm doing, my own trajectory. As I said last year, I'm just going to do things my way."

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Rahm, McIlroy face tension and drama at unique US Open

BROOKLINE -- A hotly anticipated US Open starts Thursday that will test the world's top golfers over a formidable layout at a historic setting with a splash of controversy as well.

Defending champion Jon Rahm, four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and two-time major winners Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa lead fan and oddsmakers favorites at The Country Club.

"You've got to have all aspects of your game ready to play some good golf," reigning British Open champion Morikawa said.

In addition to creating dense rough and lightning-fast greens, the US Golf Association ensured drama by allowing players from the upstart Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series to compete rather ban them as the US PGA Tour did.

As a result, US stars Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau are among the LIV Golf rebels teeing off in a unique sub-plot to the quest for a major title -- the first LIV-PGA showdown.

"Who knew we loved all this drama?" Morikawa said. "It becomes a distraction and you don't want to be focused on this or that. We're here to win the US Open."

Mickelson, who turns 52 on Thursday, would complete a career Grand Slam with a victory after a record six runner-up efforts, and break his own mark as the oldest major winner.

"I'm excited to be back in this incredible championship that has eluded me," Mickelson said. 

Boston fans famously heckled Europe in a 1999 US Ryder Cup fightback victory and could offer more barbs.

"Whether it's positive or negative towards me directly, I think it's going to provide an incredible atmosphere," Mickelson said.

Tiger Woods, making a comeback after severe leg injuries suffered in a car crash 16 months ago, skipped the US Open to better prepare for next month's British Open at St. Andrews.

A field of 156 will compete at the same club where 20-year-old hometown hero Francis Ouimet became the first amateur to win the US Open back in 1913.

"What's so good about golf is the history and tradition and these stories," McIlroy said. "The fact he grew up just off the 17th hole and we're still talking about it to this day over 100 years on, that's so cool."

Third-ranked McIlroy won his 21st US PGA title on Sunday at the Canadian Open

"It certainly puts a pep in your step," McIlroy said. "It gives you a lot of confidence.

"Everything is certainly trending in the right direction and I'm happy with where the game is at."

McIlroy, 33, is the most recent player to win a tour event and a major title in back-to-back weeks, taking a WGC title at Akron before his 2014 PGA Championship victory at Valhalla, his most recent major triumph.

"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with my game and at the biggest and toughest tests in the world," said McIlroy. "I feel confident going to these golf courses that are set up more difficult knowing I have the game and mentality to succeed on them."

- Scrambling for momentum -

Second-ranked Rahm will try to repeat as Brooks Koepka did in 2017-2018. The 27-year-old Spaniard won his first major title last year at Torrey Pines.

"A lot of the pressure I used to put on myself is not really there," Rahm said. "I can enjoy it a little bit more and know you don't need to do anything special to get it done."

Rahm won his first title since last year's US Open last month at the US PGA Mexico Open and practiced Tuesday with Mickelson.

"Second shots into the green are going to be important," Rahm said. "Rough around the greens is about as healthy as I've seen in a while."

Scheffler, assured of topping next week's rankings, will try to match Woods -- the only reigning world number one to win a US Open.

"I like the challenge," Scheffler said. "This style of golf really suits how I play."

Thomas, who won May's PGA Championship, likes the difficult test on offer.

"US Open is a grind. That's why I love it," Thomas said. "Driving the ball is going to be very important. Scrambling and salvaging and making those putts for par can be the momentum builders."

Agence France-Presse

Djokovic out of US Open after hitting line judge with ball

NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic was kicked out of the U.S. Open for accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a tennis ball after dropping a game in his fourth-round match Sunday, a stunning end to his 29-match winning streak and bid for an 18th Grand Slam title.

As he walked to the Arthur Ashe Stadium sideline for a changeover, trailing Pablo Carreño Busta 6-5 in the first set, Djokovic — who was seeded and ranked No. 1 and an overwhelming favorite for the championship — angrily smacked a ball behind him. The ball flew right at the line judge, who dropped to her knees at the back of the court and reached for her neck.

During a discussion of about 10 minutes near the net involving tournament referee Soeren Friemel, Grand Slam supervisor Andreas Egli and chair umpire Aurelie Tourte, Djokovic pleaded his case.

“His point was that he didn’t hit the line umpire intentionally. He said, ‘Yes, I was angry. I hit the ball. I hit the line umpire. The facts are very clear. But it wasn’t my intent. I didn’t do it on purpose.’ So he said he shouldn’t be defaulted for it,” said Friemel, who made the decision to end the match. “And we all agree that he didn’t do it on purpose, but the facts are still that he hit the line umpire and the line umpire was clearly hurt.”

Friemel didn’t see what happened, and said he was not allowed to check a video replay, but was given a rundown by Egli and Tourte. Friemel said that even if Djokovic didn’t intend to hurt the line judge, she was hurt, and that was enough to merit the ruling.

Eventually, Djokovic walked over to shake hands with Carreño Busta. Tourte then announced that Djokovic was defaulted, the tennis equivalent of an ejection.

“I was a little bit in shock, no?” Carreño Busta said later at a news conference done via video conference because of social-distancing rules at the U.S. Open, the first Grand Slam tournament staged amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Djokovic quickly left the tournament grounds without speaking to reporters, posting an apology on social media hours later.

“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I‘m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong,” Djokovic wrote.

“As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being,” he wrote. “I apologize to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated for my behavior.”

Asked whether he thought Djokovic should have been allowed to continue to play, Carreño Busta shrugged and replied: “Well, the rules are the rules. ... The referee and the supervisor (did) the right thing, but it’s not easy to do it.”

Indeed, the U.S. Tennis Association issued a statement saying that Friemel defaulted Djokovic “in accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook, following his actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences.”

The USTA went on to say Djokovic forfeits the ranking points and $250,000 in prize money he earned in the tournament — “in addition to any or all fines levied with respect to the offending incident.”

“Novak was angry. He hit the ball recklessly, angrily back. And taking everything into consideration, there was no discretion involved,” Friemel said. “Defaulting a player at a Grand Slam is a very important, very tough decision. And for that reason, it doesn’t matter if it’s on Ashe, if it’s No. 1, or any other player on any other court, you need to get it right.”

This was the latest example of Djokovic finding himself at the center of the tennis world for a reason other than his best-in-the-game returns, can’t-miss groundstrokes and body-contorting defensive prowess.

Djokovic tested positive for the coronavirus — as did his wife, one of his coaches and other players — after participating in a series of exhibition matches with zero social distancing he organized in Serbia and Croatia in June.

Then, on the eve of the U.S. Open, he helped establish a new association he says will represent men’s tennis players.

And, of course, there’s been his dominance on the court.

Djokovic began the day 26-0 this season and with an unbeaten run that extended to his last three matches of 2019. He had won five of the past seven Grand Slam tournaments to raise his total to 17, closing in on rivals Roger Federer, who has a men’s-record 20, and Rafael Nadal, who has 19.

With reigning U.S. Open champion Nadal, who cited concerns about traveling amid the pandemic, and Federer, sidelined after two knee operations, not in the field, the 33-year-old from Serbia was expected to claim a fourth trophy in New York and gain on them.

But it all came apart so suddenly Sunday. Djokovic wasn’t looking in the line judge’s direction when his racket made contact with the ball, and there was concern on his face as soon as he realized what had happened.

Players who hit a ball out of anger and make contact with an on-court official have been disqualified in the past.

In 2017, Denis Shapovalov — the 21-year-old Canadian who is Carreño Busta’s next opponent — was defaulted from a Davis Cup match against Britain when he accidentally hit the chair umpire in the face with a ball. At Wimbledon in 1995, Tim Henman hit a ball into the head of a ball girl and was defaulted from a doubles match.

“I’ve been through that myself. Honestly, I feel awful for him. I feel terrible for everybody. Nobody wants to be in this situation,” Shapovalov said after beating No. 7 David Goffin 6-7 (0), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 Sunday night. “Just a fluke. It’s accidents like this that happen. Same thing with me.”

No. 5 seed Alexander Zverev, who will face No. 27 Borna Coric in the other quarterfinal on that side of the draw, called Djokovic “unlucky.”

“If it would have landed anywhere else — we’re talking a few inches — he would have been fine,” Zverev said.

Among the many oddities about the 2020 U.S. Open, which has no spectators, is that only the two largest arenas — Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadium — have full complements of line judges. Elsewhere, chair umpires are aided by an electronic line-calling system.

Djokovic’s mood had soured over the preceding few minutes Sunday. In the prior game, he wasted three consecutive break points, then whacked a ball off a courtside advertising sign.

On the second point of what would become Djokovic’s last game at this year’s U.S. Open, he stumbled and fell, clutching his left shoulder.

Play was delayed for a few minutes while a trainer checked on him.

On the second point after they resumed, the 20th-seeded Carreño Busta hit a passing winner to break Djokovic’s serve. That’s when Djokovic got himself into trouble.

His departure means there is no man left in the field who has won a Grand Slam singles title. Whoever emerges as champion will be the first first-time major trophy winner in men’s tennis since 2014, when Marin Cilic won the U.S. Open.

Plus, each of the last 13 Grand Slam trophies had been won by a member of the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

“This is definitely not the way we wanted to have a new Grand Slam champion,” Shapovalov said, before noting: “It’s been getting pretty boring with these three guys winning every tournament.”

Associated Press

Naomi Osaka’s knee injury lends uncertainty to US Open

MASON, Ohio — Naomi Osaka felt a strange sensation in her left knee, different than anything she’d experienced. The U.S. Open champion left the court worried about whether she’ll be in shape to defend her precious title.

Osaka retired from her quarterfinal match at the Western & Southern Open on Friday, unsure what’s going on in the knee. She expected to get an MRI.


For now, the player currently ranked No. 1 in the world is concerned about her chances of making another deep run in New York.

“Last year, I won the U.S. Open,” she said. “This year, I’m trying to play the U.S. Open.”

The problem came out of the blue.

Osaka split two sets with Sofia Kenin. She felt something unusual in the knee while serving early in the third set. After a timeout to have it examined and wrapped, she played a couple more points before retiring .


“I have no idea what’s going on,” she said.


With that, Kenin advanced to the semifinals for the second straight week. During her run to the semifinals in Toronto, she knocked off then-No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, an upset that allowed Osaka to move up to the top ranking. She’ll face Madison Keys, who beat Venus Williams 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semifinals for the first time.

Barty is in position to snatch it back heading into the Open. She beat Maria Sakkari 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 with an encouraging all-around effort.

“Still not quite there, but we’re getting better and better each match,” the French Open champion said. “I think that’s the beauty of being able to stay alive in the tournament is to give myself an opportunity to keep getting better. I think I’m still aiming to obviously do very well here, but the big picture is New York in 10 days’ time.”

She needs some work on those first sets, though.


Barty got ahead 5-2 in her opening set and got sloppy, letting it slip away. It was the second straight day that Barty rallied after dropping a first set. She fought off a match point during a three-set win over Anett Kontaveit on Thursday, showing poise that she’d need to draw upon again a day later.

“There is certainly no panic, where it gets to the stage where I’m kind of overwrought or can’t think straight,” she said. “I’m still able to, more times than not, have the ability to relax and kind of stay clear and come back to what works.”

Barty will face Svetlana Kuznetsova, who reached her first semifinal of the season by beating third-seeded Karolina Pliskova 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3.

Kuznetsova is playing only her ninth event after missing the start of the season because of a knee injury. On a hot, humid afternoon, she got treatment for tightness in her upper right leg after the second set and twice again during the final one.

On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic continued his push for a second straight Cincinnati title, beating Lucas Pouille 7-6 (2), 6-1. He’ll face Danlil Medvedev, who knocked off qualifier Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-3.

Djokovic winced on a serve in the second set and got the muscles above and below his elbow rubbed during the changeover as he led 4-1. He broke Pouille and served it out despite the discomfort.

“I managed to finish the match,” Djokovic said. “A little bit of tightness in my elbow, but hopefully everything will be fine tomorrow.”

Qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka withdrew because of illness, sending David Goffin into the semifinals. Nishioka had a good tournament showing, beating sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori — a player he called his hero — and Alex De Minaur to reach the quarterfinals.

Goffin will face Richard Gasquet, who advanced with a three-set victory over Roberto Bautista Agut. Gasquet had groin surgery in January and fell to No. 68 in the ATP rankings on July 29, his lowest in nine years. He’s back in an ATP Masters 1000 semifinal for the first time since 2013 in Miami.

Seven-time champion Roger Federer was upset Thursday, leaving Djokovic as the only high seed left in the bracket.

source: sports.inquirer.net

15-year-old American Coco Gauff gets US Open wild-card entry

Coco Gauff will get a chance to try for an encore: The 15-year-old from Florida received a wild-card entry Tuesday for the U.S. Open’s main draw.

It will be Gauff’s second Grand Slam tournament. She made a magical run to the fourth round at Wimbledon last month after getting a wild card into the qualifying rounds there.


Ranked just 313th at the time, Gauff became the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon, upset five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round and wound up losing at the All England Club to eventual title winner Simona Halep.

Gauff is currently No. 140 in the WTA rankings.

Age restrictions set up by the women’s professional tour limit the number of tournaments someone who is 15 can enter and the number of wild-card invitations she can be offered — and Gauff already has accepted three wild cards elsewhere. But according to the WTA, the U.S. Open — which, as a Grand Slam tournament, is not overseen by the WTA or ATP tours — essentially can choose to ignore the eligibility rule and offer Gauff a wild card.

Among the other players receiving wild cards from the U.S. Tennis Association on Tuesday for the women’s field at Flushing Meadows were 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur — an Australian who was granted that country’s reciprocal berth in the field — and 17-year-old Caty McNally, an American who won the doubles title with Gauff and reached the singles semifinals at the Citi Open in Washington this month.


The draw for the U.S. Open is Aug. 22, and play in the year’s last major tennis tournament begins Aug. 26.

Other women’s wild cards went to Francesca Di Lorenzo, Whitney Osuigwe, Kristie Ahn and Katie Volynets of the U.S., along with 16-year-old Diane Parry of France, who got her country’s reciprocal invitation.

Di Lorenzo, a 22-year-old from Ohio, is a past NCAA doubles champion now ranked 128th. Osuigwe, a 17-year-old from Florida, won a French Open junior title and is ranked 105th. Ahn, a 27-year-old from New Jersey, finished first in the USTA’s wild-card challenge, while Volynets, a 17-year-old from California, won the 18s national championship.

Nine wild cards for qualifying were also awarded, including to five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 14-year-old Reese Brantmeier of Wisconsin, Vicky Duval, Shelby Rogers and Pan Am Games medalist Caroline Dolehide.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Djokovic wins third US Open, equals Sampras on 14 Grand Slams

New York, United States — Novak Djokovic clinched his third US Open title on Sunday with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 triumph over Juan Martin del Potro, taking him level with Pete Sampras’s mark of 14 Grand Slams.

Djokovic, playing in his eighth final in New York and already the champion in 2011 and 2015, is now just three Slams behind Rafael Nadal and six back from the record 20 held by Roger Federer.

It was also the third time the 31-year-old Serb — who missed last year’s tournament with an elbow injury which sent his career into a mini-crisis — completed the Wimbledon-US Open double.

For world number three Del Potro, it was a heartbreaking experience coming in just his second Slam final, nine years after he was crowned US Open champion.

It was Djokovic’s 15th win over the Argentine and fifth in five at the Slams.

Victory also means that 50 of the last 55 majors have been win by the ‘Big Four’ of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray.

With the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof closed as heavy rain swept New York, conditions were slow and sluggish.

After taking just two points off Del Potro’s first three service games, Djokovic, in his eighth final in New York and 23rd at the majors, pounced to break for 5-3.

The key was his success with a lung-busting 22-shot rally and he pocketed the set when the 29-year-old del Potro netted a forehand.

It was only the second set dropped by the Argentine at the tournament.

For Djokovic, it was an illustration of him growing into the championships as he took his run of consecutive sets won to 14, stretching back to the second round against Tennys Sandgren.

Djokovic was soon 3-1 up in the second set before Del Potro carved out his first break point of the match to level at 3-3.

He had three more chances in the eighth, all saved by Djokovic in a marathon 20-minute game which left even Hollywood superstar Meryl Streep clasping her head in astonishment.

The effort took its toll on a suddenly weary-looking Del Potro as a 95-minute set was claimed by Djokovic in the tiebreak.

Del Potro was looking at having to become the first man since Pancho Gonales in 1949 to win the US title from two sets down.

Djokovic sprinted into a 3-1 lead in the third set before a battling Del Potro clung on, hitting back for 3-3.

But off the back of a 24-shot rally, Djokovic broke again for 5-3 and he was within tantalising touching distance of his 14th Grand Slam title, just three months after he had left Roland Garros in despair after a shattering quarter-final exit. /cbb

source: sports.inquirer.net

Federer: I struggled to breathe in shock US Open loss

Roger Federer revealed he struggled to breathe during his shock 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/3) defeat to world number 55 John Millman at the U.S. Open on Monday.

The 37-year-old five-time champion labored to his earliest loss at the tournament in five years with his challenge sinking in the crushing humidity on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I just thought it was very hot tonight. Was just one of those nights where I guess I felt I couldn’t get air. There was no circulation at all,” said 20-time major winner Federer who was bidding to clinch the US Open for the first time in a decade.

“I just struggled in the conditions. It’s one of the first times it’s happened to me.

“It’s uncomfortable. Clearly just kept on sweating more and more and more and more as the match goes on. You lose energy as it goes by.

“But John was able to deal with it better. He maybe comes from one of the most humid places on earth, Brisbane!”

It was Federer’s first loss against a player outside the top 50 in 41 meetings at the US Open.

He finished with 77 unforced errors and 10 double faults but had a host of chances to take wrap up matters in straight sets, squandering set points in the second and third sets.

He had also been a break to the good at 4-2 in the fourth but the errors just kept piling up.

Monday’s result meant there would be no quarterfinal showdown with old rival Novak Djokovic who will now face Millman instead on Wednesday.

“I knew I was in for a tough one. Maybe when you feel like that, as well, you start missing chances, and I had those,” said the Swiss.

“That was disappointing. I was just happy that the match was over.”

Federer believes the decision to build a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium contributed to his problems.

The roof was open Monday, but the space above the cavernous arena has been reduced by the wings which help support the structure.

“I do believe since the roof is on that there is no air circulation in the stadium. I think just that makes it a totally different US Open,” said the world number two.

“Plus conditions maybe were playing slower this year on top of it. You have soaking wet pants, soaking wet everything.

“It was just tough. I thought John played a great match in difficult conditions.”

Federer said he did not regret his decision to invite Millman to come and train with him after the Australian had suffered a first round loss at Roland Garros.

The pair spent a few days on court before the Wimbledon warm-up event at Stuttgart.

“I didn’t know he had a girlfriend in Stuttgart. Just Severin (Luthi — his coach) asked him. He was like, Yeah, absolutely, I’m ready to come. We had a great few days, a good time together.”

Federer said he admired Millman’s fighting spirit, forged from suffering a series of injuries in his career.

He has undergone two surgeries on his shoulder and one on his groin.

As a result of his injury toils, his ranking slumped to 1,101 in August 2014 but recovered to 71 just 12 months later.

After a groin operation, Millman was slipping again with his ranking at 235 in August last year.

“I love his intensity,” said Federer.

“He reminds me of David Ferrer and those other guys that I admire a lot when I see them, when I see how they train, the passion they have for the game.

“He’s got a positive demeanor about himself on and off the court.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Del Potro warns he’s hitting the heights

SHANGHAI – Juan Martin del Potro said he was playing even better than when he won the 2009 US Open after pushing Novak Djokovic to the limit in a gripping Shanghai Masters final.

The towering Argentine won this month’s Japan Open and beat world number one Rafael Nadal in the Shanghai semi-finals, before coming up just short in a third-set tie-breaker with Djokovic.

But the six-foot-six inch (1.98 meter) del Potro has shown he is primed for another assault on the majors with three titles this year and two appearances in Masters finals.

“I think I’m playing even better than many years ago,” the 25-year-old world number five told reporters in Shanghai.

“I couldn’t win a Grand Slam like I did in 2009 but I have reached finals in the Masters. I have already won three tournaments. I beat the top guys, which is fantastic for me,” he added.

“I think I’m playing even better than 2009 or 2008 or last year. That’s important. That’s a good thing for the future. I still have the same goal, which is getting closer to the top guys. If I keep working like this, I hope I can be there one day.”

Before Tokyo, del Potro won in Rotterdam and Washington this year and lost the Indian Wells Masters final to Nadal. He beat world David Ferrer in the Wimbledon quarter-finals before losing to Djokovic in the semis.

In Shanghai, the stunning 6-2, 6-4 victory over Nadal – handing the Spaniard only his fifth defeat this year – qualified del Potro for the World Tour Finals in London.

He said he was still not quite in the same league as the quartet known as tennis’s ‘Big Four’: Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray and Swiss great Roger Federer.

But del Potro, the only man other than that exalted quartet to win a Grand Slam title since 2005, is quietly confident that he is not far away from their level.

“I think they are still the favourites for each tournament,” he said. “But I believe in myself. I’m very confident. I’m very pleased with my level. I’m very honest with myself.

“I think if I’m healthy and if I play like today or yesterday I will have the chance to play in good battles like we did today.”

Speaking after his sobering semi-final defeat, Nadal said that del Potro was one of the “biggest candidates” to win another Grand Slam.

Djokovic said there was no doubt about the Argentine’s quality, but his biggest problem was his sheer size and staying injury-free in their high-impact sport.

“Since his first Grand Slam title in 2009, we all knew has the calibre to be a top tennis player and always a contender to win any Grand Slam he plays,” said the world number two.

“With his serve and his game, for his height, he moves extremely well. He uses the court very good. He has a very good anticipation. He’s mentally really strong.

“So he has the potential, there’s no question about it. Now, for somebody his height, I think it’s two or three times more physical effort to overcome these kind of matches.

“That’s I think the biggest obstacle he has, to be able to stay fit throughout the whole year.”

source: sports.inquirer.net