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Pictures from Day 2 of the 2023 US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York on Tuesday.
Alcaraz advances as injured Koepfer retires
IMAGE: Carlos Alcaraz in motion throughout his first spherical match in opposition to Germany’s Dominik Koepfer on Day 2 of the 2023 US Open on Tuesday. {Photograph}: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the second spherical of the US Open on Tuesday after his opponent, German Dominik Koepfer, retired with an damage throughout their primetime match within the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 20-year-old prime seed from Spain was main 6-2, 3-2 when Koepfer retired, having rolled his ankle at a grimace-inducing angle minutes into the match. Alcaraz will play Lloyd Harris of South Africa within the second spherical.
“He is an ideal participant, he has massive pictures so I’ve to be actually centered on the match,” stated Alcaraz. “Clearly (it) goes to be a tricky one.”
Alcaraz drew a packed crowd to the enduring American stadium however the affair rapidly unraveled as underdog Koepfer stopped brief alongside the baseline within the first recreation, twisting his left ankle and shedding a lot hope of placing up a combat.
He took a medical timeout to have his ankle taped and returned to the courtroom with the rating at deuce however was clearly not at full energy and Alcaraz simply transformed a break level with a well-placed drop shot.
The German confirmed grit as he fended off a break level within the third recreation of the primary set however was overheard telling his workforce that his ankle was in horrible form, as his camp questioned whether or not he ought to proceed.
IMAGE: Dominik Koepfer stopped brief alongside the baseline within the first recreation, twisting his left ankle and shedding a lot hope of placing up a combat. {Photograph}: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Koepfer buried his head in his towel after Alcaraz pressured him right into a forehand error to transform on a break level likelihood within the seventh recreation.
Wimbledon champion Alcaraz was in high quality kind, sending over 19 winners with few errors throughout the match, and broke Koepfer to like within the third recreation of the second set after the German whacked a backhand shot out of bounds.
Koepfer fended off a pair of break level possibilities within the fifth recreation earlier than solemnly strolling to the online to resign.
“Clearly I’ve to present credit score to him,” Alcaraz stated in on-court remarks after the match. “First step on the courtroom, I felt nice… the identical power that I felt final 12 months.”
Alcaraz will lose his world primary spot when the match wraps after rival Novak Djokovic demolished Frenchman Alexandre Muller in his opening match on Monday, a outcome that meant the Serb will substitute him on the prime of the rankings.
Venus Williams suffers early exit
IMAGE: Venus Williams misplaced within the first spherical in opposition to Belgium’s Greet Minnen . {Photograph}: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Two-time US Open champion Venus Williams suffered her most lopsided loss in 24 appearances on the Grand Slam match with a 6-1, 6-1 defeat by the hands of qualifier Greet Minnen within the first spherical on Tuesday.
The German smacked 24 winners and saved all six break factors she confronted to dispatch the veteran American, who she reveres.
“In 1997, Venus already performed a ultimate right here and I used to be simply born, so for me it was unbelievable to play a legend like her,” the 26-year-old Minnen stated in an on-court interview.
“I’ve big respect for her.”
Former world primary Williams’ finest likelihood of climbing again into the competition got here when she had a break level alternative within the opening recreation of the second set however she didn’t convert.
The hard-hitting Minnen would break the following recreation at love and cruise to victory within the match that lasted simply 75 minutes.
“First I’ve to present credit score to my opponent,” Williams informed reporters.
“There wasn’t a shot she could not make. Even after I hit actually superb pictures, she simply hit a winner or a dropshot, so I do not assume I performed badly. I believe it was simply a type of days the place it is simply unfortunate.”
IMAGE: Greet Minnen celebrates profitable her first spherical match. {Photograph}: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Seven-time Grand Slam winner Williams, whose youthful sister Serena retired after final 12 months’s US Open with 23 main titles to her title, stated she was ready to come back to Flushing Meadows with out her sibling enjoying.
“I used to be very a lot conscious that Serena would not be enjoying the match, so I believe I used to be okay. I’ve had an opportunity to get used to that concept even earlier than she retired,” she stated.
“I type of knew that was coming.”
Requested when she would possibly dangle up her racket, Williams was non-committal.
“I would not inform you,” she stated with a smile.
“I do not know. I do not know why you are asking.”
Murray and Norrie advance in straight units
IMAGE: Andy Murray, working his approach again from hip surgical procedures, was pressured to labour greater than Norrie, needing 4 match factors and three hours to beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet. {Photograph}: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie sailed into the second spherical of the US Open with straight-sets wins on Tuesday as hopes for British success on the match acquired off to a promising begin.
Former champion Murray, working his approach again from hip surgical procedures, was pressured to labour greater than Norrie, needing 4 match factors and three hours to beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-2, 7-5, 6-3, sealing victory with a beautiful backhand winner.
“I am at my highest rating since I had the steel hip so I am pleased with that,” stated Murray, the previous world primary now ranked thirty seventh and unseeded on the main he received in 2012.
“It is not been a straightforward journey – clearly I want to be ranked greater,” he added after notching his 2 hundredth match win at a Grand Slam match.
Murray, 36, comfortably captured the opening set in opposition to his 24-year-old opponent earlier than falling an early break behind within the second.
Moutet had set factors at 5-4 however didn’t convert and Murray broke with a blistering backhand winner, main the emotional Frenchman to demolish his racket.
Murray had set level two video games later and did nicely to place a well-placed serve again into play and Moutet responded by badly lacking an overhead to fall two units behind.
On serve at 2-2 within the third, Moutet fell whereas chasing down a ball hit into the nook, the lefty touchdown laborious on his left wrist and staying down for an prolonged interval.
He would proceed and dig deep to fend off break factors and maintain for 3-3.
However fan-favourite Murray wouldn’t be denied, changing his tenth break level likelihood of the set with a deft drop shot for 5-3 en path to victory.
“It was superb – good environment,” Murray stated to his many followers packed into the Grandstand courtroom.
“He is probably the most skillful gamers on the tour. He all the time causes a bit of little bit of chaos on the market.”
Earlier within the day, sixteenth seed Norrie cruised previous Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in 91 minutes as he seems to be to show round a disappointing second half of his season.
Norrie fell within the second spherical of Wimbledon and suffered first spherical exits at three US Open warm-up occasions however performed practically flawless tennis to dispatch the Russian.
“I all the time really feel good coming to New York and I believe I used to be actually hungry to get a win. You already know, I hadn’t had too many in the previous couple of weeks,” Norrie informed reporters.
“It was a superb win, however on to the following one.”
Britain’s Dan Evans and Jack Draper are additionally in motion on Tuesday.
Garcia ousted in first spherical by Chinese language qualifier
Caroline Garcia’s hopes of creating one other deep run on the US Open got here to a fast finish because the French seventh seed suffered a shock 6-4, 6-1 first spherical loss to Chinese language qualifier Yafan Wang on Tuesday.
Garcia, a semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows final 12 months who went on to say the largest title of her profession two months later on the WTA Finals, was undone by 34 unforced errors in opposition to world quantity 114 Wang.
With the loss, Garcia will fall from the highest 10 of the rankings to outdoors the highest 20.
Wang, a former world quantity 47 who missed seven months of motion in 2022 and was ranked 696th in March, has a 57-10 throughout all ranges this 12 months, together with titles in 5 ITF occasions and the WTA 125 match in Stanford two weeks in the past.
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