Rafa, Serena kick off in style!
A The slips and slides of the soft clay have been replaced by the squeaks of shoes on the hard courts. Nobody is handling the switch better than Rafael Nadal. Nadal improved to 16-0 this year on the hard surface Monday, defeating American Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the US Open.
‘It’s difficult to analyze now,’ Nadal said, when asked if he’s playing the best hard-court tennis of his career. ‘I am playing well. Happy the way I was playing. I don’t know if it was the best or not, but it was very good because I was able to win.’ The victory in front of a half-full Arthur Ashe Stadium marked the first for second-seeded Nadal on any Grand Slam surface other than clay since the first round of Wimbledon in 2012.
Serena Williams needed just one hour on Monday to remind everyone why she remains the overwhelming favourite to win the US Open. In one of the most one-sided matches seen on the Arthur Ashes centre court, Williams demolished Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 6-0 6-1 with an ominous display of precision and power.
Injury-plagued Venus Williams has slipped to 60th in the world rankings but came alive with another positive start at the US Open, knocking out 12th seed Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-1, 6-2 on Monday.
Chinese fifth seed Li Na cruised into the second round of the US Open on Monday as easily as she has slipped into being a role model for her sport and homeland. Li, Asia’s top women’s hope at the year’s final Grand Slam event, ousted Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-2, 6-2 in only 64 minutes and will next face Swede Sofia Arvidsson on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.
‘I was really happy the way I was hitting the ball now on the court. I’ll just try to continue,’ Li said.
Federer, the former five-time champion and seeded a lowly seventh this year, was due to take on Slovenia’s Grega Zemjla in the closing match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But heavy late evening rain meant the Swiss star, still bruised by his second round loss at Wimbledon -- his worst All England defeat in a decade -- will have to try again on Tuesday.
There were no such problems, however, for Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer, a semi-finalist in 2007 and 2012, who defeated teenage Australian qualifier Nick Kyrgios, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 and will next play compatriot Roberto Bautista. British qualifier Daniel Evans, the world number 179, stunned Japanese 11th seed Kei Nishikori, in the day’s biggest shock, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Bernard Tomic fought where previously he had surrendered. The Australian rolled up his sleeves to survive a five-setter against Spaniard Albert Ramos in three hours and 56 minutes. Tomic’s 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 victory moved him into a second-round clash against world No. 179 Dan Evans. On Tuesday both Ana Ivanovic and Maria Kirilenko got off their blocks with easy wins.
