US Open, day 1 men’s roundup: Djokovic rolls on; Zverev edges Anderson, seeds Schwartzman, Isner out

Pre-tournament favorite Novak Djokovic marched into round two of the US Open Monday as he launched his bid for a 18th Grand Slam with a straight-sets win.

The world number one dispatched unheralded Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina 6-1, 6-4,6-1 under floodlights at an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The Serbian superstar took just 23 minutes to win the first set before laboring to a narrow victory in an hour-long second set.

Earlier, fifth seed Alexander Zverev was made to work hard as he progressed into round two of the US Open Monday following a three-hour-long tussle with 2017 finalist Kevan Anderson.

The German, seeking his first Grand Slam title, took the first set on a tie-break 7-6 (7/2) before losing the second 7-5 in an eerily empty Arthur Ashe Stadium. Ultimately, the 23-year-old proved too much for the South African veteran, winning the third set 6-3 and the fourth 7-5.

Afterwards he shared a moment on a big screen with his tennis-playing brother Mischa Zverev who was beamed into the stadium from his sofa at home.

“I am actually quite happy with a first round like that,” said Zverev, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open earlier this year.

“Kevin is not someone you usually play in a first round. This is a fourth round, quarter-final, semi-final match normally against him. I am extremely happy to be through,” he added.

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas eased into the second round of the Flushing Meadows tournament, which is being played without fans due to coronavirus, with a straight-sets win over Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

The Greek player needed just one hour and 38 minutes to dispose of the world number 41, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. The 22-year-old TsitsipaThe 25-year-old looked dead and buried after dropping serve five times in the opening two sets but recovered to claim a memorable win.

Britain’s Cameron Norrie enjoyed one of the day’s most impressive wins, charging back from two sets down to sink Argentine ninth seen Diego Schwartzman 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.

The 25-year-old looked dead and buried after dropping serve five times in the opening two sets but recovered to claim a memorable win. The four-hour-long slugfest saw Norrie save two match points in a contest that set a US Open record of 58 break points.

“It shows that it was just two dogs out there battling with no serves really,” said the 76th-ranked Norrie, will face another Argentine, Federico Coria, for a place in the third round.

In an all-American clash on Armstrong, Steve Johnson beat 16th-seeded John Isner 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 in another five-setter.

Elsewhere in the men’s draw on day one, 12th seed Canadian Denis Shapovalov required four sets to overcome US wildcard Sebastian Korda.

The 21-year-old left-hander won the first set 6-4 before losing the second by the same score. But he rallied to win the next two 6-3, 6-2.

“Playing without the fans is definitely different,” Shapovalov said. “You know, I love to use the fans to kind of pump me up. So I had to do that within myself. But I’m getting familiar with it pretty quick,” he added.

Frenchman Gilles Simon enjoyed a straightforward victory over Egypt’s Mohamed Safwat. The 35-year-old triumphed 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Adrian Mannarino, also of France, defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted two hours and 41 minutes.

Results

1st rd

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 6-4, 6-1

Kyle Edmund (GBR) bt Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-0

Jan-Lennard Struff (GER x28) bt Pedro Martinez (ESP) 6-0, 7-5, 6-4

Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESP x20) bt Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3

Mitchell Krueger (USA) bt Pedro Sousa (POR) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3

Ricardas Berankis (LTU) bt Federico Gaio (ITA) 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Steve Johnson (USA) bt John Isner (USA x16) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)

Denis Shapovalov (CAN x12) bt Sebastian Korda (USA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Soonwoo Kwon (KOR) bt Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (USA) 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-2

Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Mohamed Safwat (EGY) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4

Taylor Fritz (USA x19) bt Dominik Koepfer (GER) 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Filip Krajinovic (SRB x26) bt Mikael Ymer (SWE) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3

Marcos Giron (USA) bt Marc Polmans (AUS) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2

Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 6-4, 7-5, 6-2

David Goffin (BEL x7) bt Reilly Opelka (USA) 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x4) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-2, 6-1, 6-1

Maxime Cressy (USA) bt Jozef Kovalik (SVK) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

Juan Ignacio Londero (ARG) bt Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 6-3, 6-3, 7-5

Borna Coric (CRO x27) bt Pablo Andújar (ESP) 7-5, 6-3, 6-1

Egor Gerasimov (BLR) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB x18) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Jordan Thompson (AUS) bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Attila Balazs (HUN) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4

Christian Garín (CHI x13) bt Ulises Blanch (USA) 4-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Cameron Norrie (GBR) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG x9) 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5

Federico Coria (ARG) bt Jason Jung (TPE) 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 2-0 abandon

Alejandro Davidovich (ESP) bt Dennis Novak (AUT) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-0

Hubert Hurkacz (POL x24) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Adrian Mannarino (FRA x32) bt Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3

Jack Sock (USA) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2)

Brandon Nakashima (USA) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3)

Alexander Zverev (GER x5) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA) 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5