US Open 2013: Top seeds survive on day of mixed fortunes
Last Updated: Friday, August 30, 2013, 12:38
New
York: The contrasting fortunes of grand slam tennis were on full
display at the U.S. Open on Thursday. Some dreams were made while others
were shattered.
Victoria Duval, the teenaged American who had
captured the hearts of New York with her feats both on and off the
court, was knocked out in straight sets in a brutal reminder of how far
she still has to go to reach the top.
For Sara Errani, the
world`s fifth ranked woman, the pressure of playing in the Big Apple
became too much and she crumbled under pressure, tearfully admitting she
had choked.
The
tournament`s biggest stars all survived unscathed, ruthlessly
dispatching their opponents with a minimum of fuss in a sport where
there is little room for sentiment if your ultimate aim is to collect
grand slam titles.
Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams
have 45 major singles titles between them and the trio won their second
round matches in straight sets, as they normally do. For them, the
championship never really starts until the second week.
TEST OF CHARACTER
For
the vast majority, the last grand slam of the year is a stringent test
of character from start to finish, where every win is cherished.
There was no better example on Thursday than the Englishman Dan Evans, who is playing at the U.S. Open for the first time.
Ranked
179th in the world, he needed to come through the qualifying tournament
just to get into the main draw and was not expected to go much further.
The
formality of a first round exit was lost on the 23-year-old, however,
as he tore up the script and carried his qualifying form onto the big
stage.
In his opening match, the Briton pulled off the biggest
win of his career when he upset Japan`s Kei Nishikori, ranked 12th in
the world, with many observers expecting that performance to be the
highlight of his campaign.
On Thursday, however, he won again,
this time beating Bernard Tomic 1-6 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3, a win made all the
more sweeter because the Australian`s father had snubbed him a year ago
in Miami.
"It was quite funny, actually," Evans recalled.
"I
was there playing quallies. His dad sort of fobbed me off and said I
wasn`t good enough to practise with him. I remembered that."
Duval
was thrust into the spotlight after she beat the 2011 U.S. Open
champion Sam Stosur in the first round. She played well enough but it
was her family`s tale of survival that captured the media`s attention.
When
she was seven years old, Duval was taken hostage by robbers at her
aunt`s house in Haiti, a terrifying incident that convinced her parents,
both doctors, to move back to the United States.
BURIED ALIVE
In
2010, her father was buried alive in the Haiti earthquake. He survived
by digging himself out but suffered serious injuries, including broken
legs, broken ribs and a punctured lung.
But her run ended almost
as soon as it began when she was beaten 6-2 6-3 by Daniela Hantuchova on
an outside court. It was a quick lesson in the reality of professional
tennis.
"It was overwhelming. But I think this is what it`s all about," Duval said.
Errani,
a semi-finalist in the Big Apple last year, crashed to a 6-3 6-1 loss
to her Italian compatriot Flavia Pennetta then did something no-one
expected. In a sport where players try to hide their smallest
weaknesses, she revealed her darkest secret.
"I`m feeling too
much pressure," the 26-year-old confessed. "I don`t know why, but I`m
not enjoying going on the courts, and that is the worst thing a player
can have."
Her mood was in stark contrast to Victoria Azarenka,
last year`s runner-up, who joked that she was enjoying a love affair
with New York`s unforgiving hardcourts.
"I would say it`s my
husband, hardcourts," she said after her 6-3 6-1 win over Canada`s
Aleksandra Wozniak. "Because we have been together for a long time (we)
got really comfortable with each other."
Williams was also
dancing to a different beat even though the wind was blowing hard when
she strolled onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium center court.
EASY WIN
Her match against Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan had originally been scheduled for Wednesday but was held over because of rain.
Unfazed
by the delay, she cruised to a 6-3 6-0 victory before teaming up with
big sister Venus to win their first round doubles match.
"I`m just trying to do the best I can," Williams said. "Just always trying to get a little better."
Federer,
unflappable even as he struggles to add to his record collection of 17
grand slam singles titles, hardly broke into a sweat on a baking hot day
as he brushed aside Argentina`s Carlos Berlocq 6-3 6-2 6-1.
"For
me, it was pretty straightforward, to be honest," Federer said. "It`s
one of those matches I expect myself to win if possible in straight sets
and gain confidence in the process.
"All those things happened, so, yeah, I`m pleased about it."
Nadal, who missed last year`s U.S. Open because of injury, brushed aside Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil 6-2 6-1 6-0.
It
was as swift and easy as any match he has had at the U.S. Open but the
Spaniard offered an insight into what it took to get back to the top.
"You need to be ready to suffer, to enjoy the suffering, and to be able to change the situation," the second seed said.
Reuters ------------------------ ZEENEWS.com
