Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff loved snug wins within the first spherical of the US Open, whereas Dominic Thiem bid a last farewell to the Grand Slam the place he loved his best triumph.
Djokovic, trying to turn out to be the primary participant to seize 25 Grand Slam titles, capped the night session beneath the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory over Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot on Monday evening.
Three weeks after successful the singles title on the Paris Video games, Djokovic toted his rackets and kit in a pair of gold-coloured luggage onto the court docket the place the gang 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 report 78th win at Arthur Ashe beneath a closed roof.
“I used to be not conscious of it, to be sincere with you,” Djokovic stated of the centre court docket milestone.
“It’s undoubtedly the loudest stadium we now have within the historical past of our sport. The evening classes are the perfect on the 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 enjoying very late,” the 37-year-old instructed reporters after the match.
“I can really feel, you understand, my batteries are low now. I’m shutting down.
“You simply have to just accept it, I assume … I like enjoying evening matches, however I like to begin first.
“So hopefully I get extra probabilities to play at evening and am scheduled first so we are able to begin at a extra first rate time and end at a extra first rate time.
“I assume, for the followers, there’s something particular about late-night finishes, significantly post-midnight. For us, I don’t know. It’s not likely what you need however in the event 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 report held by Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.
He additionally hopes to turn out to be 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, residence favorite and defending ladies’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 yr’s last main.
“The final couple of weeks have been powerful and I used to be like, ‘I’ve to do that and try this’ however I don’t need to show something to anybody besides myself,” Gauff stated.
“This entire 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 beneath the lights as she beat Australian Priscilla Hon 6-3 6-3.
Final yr’s runner-up arrived in New York contemporary off her triumph in Cincinnati and is trying to turn out to be the primary lady to seize the season’s two hardcourt majors in the identical yr 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 harm 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 ladies’s draw.
Shelton ends Thiem’s Grand Slam journey
It was the tip of the street for Austrian Thiem, who’s retiring on the finish of the season as a consequence of a wrist challenge 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 last 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 carry 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 out to be 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.
