The US Open got underway on Monday with straight-sets wins for second-seeds and tournament betting favorites Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters.
However, there were upsets, too, as 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt and former world No. 1 Dinara Safina both crashed out.
Federer is becoming as deadly with his back to the net as he is when he faces his foes.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The world No. 2 smacked another between-the-legs shot for the ages at the US Open on Monday in a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 first-round victory over Argentina’s 96th-ranked Brian Dabul in a night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Federer’s fantastic shot was similar to a jaw-dropping winner he hit against Novak Djokovic in last year’s US Open semi-finals, a between-the-legs blast for a crucial point as he was running from the net behind the baseline.
In the ninth game of Monday’s second set, Federer hit a between-the-legs, back-to-the-net running forehand winner from behind the baseline, raising his arms and smiling after blasting the winner past Dabul, who stared and shrugged.
“Last year’s was probably a little bit more important just because it was love-30 to go love-40, two points away from the match, and it was a semi-final, so obviously that has a little bit of an impact,” Federer said. “But in terms of difficulty, maybe this one was harder, because I had the feeling I had to run a longer distance and I was further back somehow. I had to really give the last big push at the end. I didn’t have time to set it up.”
The thrilling point, part of a 46-4 edge in winners for Federer, brought him to deuce and the crowd to its feet, another electrifying moment at a place where he has won five of his 16 Grand Slam titles.
Joining Federer in the second round was potential quarter-final opponent Robin Soderling, but he needed five sets to see off unheralded Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 5-7, 6-4
On a hot and sunny opening day, there were wins also for sixth-seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia — a 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 winner over Michael Russell of the US — and ninth-seed and 2003 champion Andy Roddick, who saw off Stephane Robert of France 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on the American’s 28th birthday.
However, Hewitt, at 29, found the shot-making of unpredictable Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu too much to cope with as he went down 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1.
It was the first time he had lost in the first round at Flushing Meadows in 11 starts and will cast further doubts on his competitiveness at the highest level of men’s tennis.
Clijsters, who supplied one of the sports stories of the year here 12 months ago when she stepped out of retirement and motherhood to win her second US Open title, defeated Greta Arn of Hungary on Friday 6-0, 7-5.
She took the first set in just 18 minutes, but needed to fight back after going 0-4 down in the second.
Clijsters said she felt under no extra pressure to repeat her outstanding play of last year.
“Obviously last year I had a few more probably unanswered questions, but I think this year I know what I have to do if I want to try and do as well as I did last year,” she said.
There was a comfortable winning start for top US hope Venus Williams.
However, there were signs in her 6-4, 6-1 defeat of Italy’s Roberta Vinci that the 30-year-old third-seed, who carries US hopes with sister Serena out injured, is still feeling some pain from the left knee injury that has sidelined her since Wimbledon.
“I was doing pretty good until I landed on my leg on a swing volley,” she said. “She didn’t make a lot of errors so I was very happy to get through after not playing forever.”
There were wins also for fifth-seed Samantha Stosur of Australia and the woman who beat her in the French Open final, sixth-seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy.
However, former world No. 1 Dinara Safina suffered more heartache as she attempts to return to her best form after a crippling back injury.
The tall Russian put on a battling display against Slovak veteran Daniela Hantuchova, but bowed out in the end 6-3, 6-4.
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