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28 March 2024

Djokovic storms through, Wozniacki crashes out

Venus Williams returns a shot to Bethanie Mattek-Sands during the first round of the 2012 US Open tennis tournament on Tuesday in New York. (AP)

Published
By Agencies

Defending champion Novak Djokovic needed just 73 minutes to reach the US Open second round on Tuesday in an embarrassingly one-sided 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 mauling of hapless Italian Paolo Lorenzi.

The second-seeded Serb overcame dropping his serve in the opening game to reel off 18 of the next 19 games, firing seven aces as well as 32 winners against 30-year-old Lorenzi, who has never won a Grand Slam match.

Djokovic next faces either Brazil's Rogerio Dutra Silva or Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia.

"My game was great from start to finish. It was important to be economical with my time on court. I tried to get to the net and stay focussed," said the world number two.

While Djokovic was enjoying his evening stroll on Arthur Ashe Stadium, next door on Louis Armstrong, former world number one and 2009 runner-up Caroline Wozniacki, without a title this year, was crashing to a painful first-round loss.

The Danish eighth seed, watched by golfing superstar boyfriend Rory McIlroy, was beaten by World No. 96 Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 6-2.

Wozniacki came into the match with her knee heavily strapped, having picked up an injury at New Haven last week, and she needed more treatment on Tuesday before slipping to defeat.

"I tried and didn't succeed in playing well. There were too many errors. It's frustrating but I will have to move on," said Wozniacki, who made the semi-finals in the last two years.

Former champions Andy Roddick and Venus Williams led a cavalcade of seeded players into the second round of the US Open while upsets were as rare as a cool breeze at sultry Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.

Williams, a two-times winner of the year's final Grand Slam, clocked the fastest women's serve of the two-week tournament in overpowering fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3 6-1.

Serena Williams was set to take the court later Tuesday under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as was holder Novak Djokovic, the second seed on the men's side.

Roddick blasted 20 aces and successfully landed 73 percent of his first serves to easily subdue Williams on a steamy day at the National Tennis Center.

Williams hit 30 winners but committed 23 unforced errors in the loss to Roddick and perhaps a few too many drop shots for his opponent's liking.

"He hit about as many drop shots today as I ever hit in my career," Roddick, who will turn 30 later this week, said with a laugh, while adding that the game has changed a lot since his US Open triumph.

"I had a massive serve at 135 (miles per hour, 217kph), and this kid today was hitting them that big," said Roddick. "The game has gotten significantly better since then."

There were no major upsets on a sticky day at Flushing Meadows, with most of the seeds moving on to the second round with straight-sets victories.

World number two Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland showed no signs of a shoulder injury that forced her out of the New Haven tour stop last week as she routed 91st-ranked Nina Bratchikova 6-1 6-1.

Number 12 seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia overcame a lack of hard court preparation and recent foot problems to cruise by 17-year-old Ukrainian qualifier Elina Svitolina 6-3 6-2, while 13th seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated Sweden's Johanna Larsson 6-7 6-2 6-0.

BOOMING SERVE

Venus Williams landed only 55 percent of her first serves but managed to launch one at 124 mph, the quickest of the women's tournament to date.

She lost the first two games to Mattek-Sands before showing glimpses of the form that has earned her seven Major titles, including US Opens in 2000 and 2001.

"The first two games I couldn't quite get it right," said Venus. "She played some good shots, some good serves. Two-love and I'm serving, I feel like I'm going to hold and maybe it's going to be even soon. I feel good on my serve."

Williams, currently ranked 46th, withdrew from the US Open last year shortly before her second-round match and revealed she had Sjogren's syndrome.

After a difficult battle to control the autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint soreness, she is in the second round but has a tricky match against the sixth-seed Angelique Kerber from Germany.

Venus said she yearns to get back into the world top 10 but conceded "it never happens the way you want it to."

"That's one thing I found out throughout my whole career," she said. "When you don't make it to one goal, just make some more. But, of course, I'm looking forward to the top 10, all that great stuff. I feel like I have it in me."

RADWANSKA SHINES

Radwanska, who could supplant Victoria Azarenka for the number one ranking if she reaches at least quarter-finals and has other results go her way, converted six of seven break-point opportunities against her Russian rival.

"Actually I'm just very happy that I could give it my best in the first match," Radwanska said after the 54-minute affair. "It's always difficult for the first match.

"Every week it's different surface, different balls."

Radwanska said it was difficult playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the humidity was more like the Amazon rainforest than Queens.

"Conditions this year are very tough, especially last few days was very humid," she said. "Yesterday was raining, and today humid again and windy.

"It wasn't that easy, but I'm kind of used to it. Especially on center (court) we're always struggling with the wind. I was prepared for that."

Ivanovic had only one hardcourt match this summer but enjoyed a 26-7 advantage in winners over Svitolina to set up a second-round match against Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.

"It was actually tough going on court because I didn't know much about the opponent today," she said. "She obviously had few matches behind her, so I expected a tough match and I tried to focus on my game. I did really well today, so I'm very pleased."

Ivanovic, the former top-ranked player in the world, admitted it was "very hard" to deal with lofty expectations.

"There is so many dangerous opponents out there, and everyone can have a great day and give a tough match," she said. "You have to really not take anything for granted and work hard for each victory."

Other seeded players to advance on the men's side were number five Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Czech number six Tomas Berdych, and in the women's draw, Kerber. Each advanced in straight sets.

Complete results on Tuesday after the second day of the US Open tennis championships at Flushing Meadows (x denotes seeding):

Men
1st round

Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt David Goffin (BEL) 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
Jimmy Wang (TPE) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (8/10), 6-1, 6-4
Nicolas Almagro (ESP x11) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4
Milos Raonic (CAN x15) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x5) bt Karol Beck (SVK) 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/2)
Steve Darcis (BEL) bt Malek Jaziri (TUN) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1
Pablo Andujar (ESP) bt Tomaz Bellucci (BRA) 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-5
Andy Roddick (USA x20) bt Rhyne Williams (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Philipp Petzschner (GER) bt Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt 1-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3)
Dennis Novikov (USA) bt Jerzy Janowicz (POL) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-3
Sam Querrey (USA x27) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x18) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-2
Julien Benneteau (FRA x31) bt Olivier Rochus (BEL) 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-3
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) bt Juan Monaco (ARG x16) 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3)
Fabio Fognini (ITA) bt Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 3-6, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3)
Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-1, 6-0, 6-1
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Matthias Bachinger (GER) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/5)
Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
Rogerio Dutra Silva (BRA) bt Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-5
Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR x14) bt Jesse Levine (USA) 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2

Women
1st round

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x2) bt Nina Bratchikova (RUS) 6-1, 6-1
Ana Ivanovic (SRB x12) bt Elina Svitolina (UKR) 6-3, 6-2
Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) bt Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) 6-4, 6-2
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) bt Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 6-1, 6-4
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) bt Ksenia Pervak (KAZ) 7-5, 1-2, retired
Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 6-1, 6-3
Elena Vesnina (RUS) bt Peng Shuai (CHN x32) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) bt Klara Zakopalova (CZE x24) 6-4, 6-4
Roberta Vinci (ITA x20) bt Urszula Radwanska (POL) 6-1, 6-1
Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino (ESP) bt Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Ayumi Morita (JPN) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM x26) 6-3, 6-3
Angelique Kerber (GER x6) bt Anne Keothavong (GBR) 6-2, 6-0
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) bt Mona Barthel (GER) 6-4, 6-2
Vera Dushevina (RUS) bt Nastassja Burnett (ITA) 6-0, 6-3
Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) bt Vania King (USA) 6-4, 6-2
Venus Williams (USA) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-3, 6-1
Jelena Jankovic (SRB x30) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 6-1, 6-2
Johanna Konta (GBR) bt Timea Babos (HUN) 6-2, 7-5
Tsevtana Pironkova (BUL) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-3, 6-4
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x13) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-0
Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) bt Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 6-3, 6-2
Sara Errani (ITA x10) bt Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-1
Olga Govortsova (BLR) bt Tamira Paszek (AUT x29) 6-3, 6-4
Olga Puchkova (RUS) bt Irina Falconi (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (2/7), 6-3
Sloane Stephens (USA) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA x22) 6-3, 6-4
Greta Arn (HUN) bt Agnes Szavay (HUN) 6-4, 3-2, retired
Maria Kirilenko (RUS x14) bt Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 6-2, 6-1
Irina-Camelia Begu (ROM) bt Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x8) 6-2, 6-2
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) bt Mirjana Lucic (CRO) 6-3, 7-5
Tatjana Malek (GER) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Serena Williams (USA x4) bt Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Kiki Bertens (NED) bt Christina McHale (USA x21) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3