Carlos Alcaraz on Monday cruised into the second round of the US Open with a straight-sets mauling of big-serving Reilly Opelka of the US, while veteran Venus Williams made an emotional exit at the hands of 11th seed Karolina Muchova.
Alcaraz, sporting a new buzz cut that has sparked plenty of chatter on social media, dismantled Opelka 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium to set up a second-round encounter with Italian Mattia Bellucci.
Williams, back at Flushing Meadows at the age of 45 after a year’s hiatus, fought bravely against Muchova, forcing a deciding set before bowing out 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.
Photo: AP
“I’m very proud of how I played,” said Williams, who was beaten 6-1, 6-1 on her last US Open appearance in 2023.
“I think for me getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy,” added Williams, who disclosed in 2011 that she had been diagnosed Sjogren’s, an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain.
“When you play unhealthy, it’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel. You get stuck in your mind, too. So, it was nice to be freer,” she said.
Talented teen Mirra Andreeva crushed Alycia Parks 6-0, 6-1 with a near-flawless performance on Louis Armstrong Stadium, but an error-strewn showing from Madison Keys saw the Australian Open champion upset 6-7 (10/12), 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 by Renata Zarazua in the first match on Arthur Ashe.
At No. 6, Keys is the highest seed to fall so far.
Zarazua, the only Mexican player in the main draw, saved seven break points across the match for her first win over a top-10 player in a grueling, three-hour and 10-minute affair.
“Coming into the match, I was like almost crying, because I was really nervous, but I think the crowd made it so chill for me,” she said. “I could hear some Mexican [fans] cheering, so that was very nice.”
She would hope to recreate the magic in the second round against Frenchwoman Diane Parry, who had no problems eliminating twice Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova 6-1, 6-0 in her final professional match.
Two-times major winner Barbora Krejcikova has struggled with injuries this year, but looked strong in knocking out Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-2, just weeks after the promising Canadian teenager’s career breakthrough in Montreal.
Krejcikova next plays Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.
Men’s 17th seed Frances Tiafoe lifted the home fans after Keys was sent packing, beating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 and closing out the afternoon program on Ashe with his 19th ace.
The twice semi-finalist, who plays US qualifier Martin Damm next, joins fourth seed Taylor Fritz and sixth seed Ben Shelton in the second round as they aim to become the first US man to lift the US Open trophy in 22 years.
Jack Draper, a semi-finalist last year, dismissed Argentine qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2 and plays Belgian Zizou Bergs next.
‘DEVASTATED’: Argentina’s win was a reversal of their 28-24 defeat last week, with Australian forward Fraser McReight adding that ‘we did the same thing last week’ Argentina flyhalf Santiago Carreras punished an undisciplined Australia with 23 points off the tee as the Pumas held on grimly for a 28-26 win in Sydney yesterday to breathe new life into their Rugby Championship campaign. A try-fest beckoned in afternoon sunshine at Sydney Football Stadium, but Argentina needed only one through captain Julian Montoya, with Carreras doing the damage with seven penalties and a conversion in front of a sell-out crowd. A week after letting a 14-point lead slip in a 28-24 defeat to Australia in Townsville, Argentina saw most of a 21-point advantage erased in the final quarter as the
ELEVEN STRIKEOUTS: Blake Snell allowed two singles and two walks against the Rockies as he ended a personal three-game skid with his first win since Aug. 16 Blake Snell on Wednesday struck out a season-high 11 in six innings, while Mookie Betts hit a grand slam in the eighth as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-0 for their fourth straight win. Helped by their third series sweep of the Rockies this MLB season, the Dodgers increased their National League West lead to three games over the San Diego Padres, who lost 2-1 at home to the Cincinnati Reds. Betts went four for five with five RBIs, capped by his seventh career slam on a 3-0 pitch from reliever Anthony Molina to make it 8-0. Andy Pages and
Captain Vijay Kumar led the way yesterday as the Hsinchu Titans claimed the Taiwan Premier League title at the Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山), beating PCCT by 27 runs. The weather was a topic again, but not the rain that played a role in previous matches in the often-delayed tournament. Kumar, who made 80 not out from 63 deliveries, and teammate Vishwajit Kumar (58 from 43) rescued the Titans from a precarious state at the end of the power play in the T20 match. The visitors were put in to bat and struggled to 26-3 as PCCT
China’s state-run People’s Daily newspaper on Monday published an essay about Chinese basketball it said was written by LeBron James, but a representative for the NBA star said on Thursday that the article was based on a series of interviews. The paper, better known as the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, had said James authored the essay, “Basketball is a Bridge that Connects Us,” a tribute to Chinese players and fans of the sport written in the first person. “LeBron James Pens an Article in the People’s Daily,” read a post published on the newspaper’s official WeChat account. On Thursday, a representative
RSS