US Open: Federer, Murray through as quit list hits record 10

Soaring temperatures force a slew of players to retire in first round

NEW YORK: Five-time champion Roger Federer and 2012 winner Andy Murray reached the US Open second round Tuesday as the crushing heat took the number of first-round retirements to a record 10.

Second-seeded Federer had little trouble in seeing off Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in just 77 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I feel good now. I actually wasn’t so confident yesterday,” said Federer. “I just felt like maybe it could be one of those matches I just couldn’t see coming.”

The 17-time Grand Slam champion goes on to face Belgium’s Steve Darcis, who was handed a place in the next stage when Cypriot veteran Marcos Baghdatis retired injured with a groin strain.

It was the 10th retirement in the men’s event in the first round; there have also been two pullouts in the women’s draw.

Third seed Murray downed the sport’s latest bogeyman, Nick Kyrgios, 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 for his fourth win in four meetings against the Australian.

Kyrgios’ Davis Cup teammate, Thanasi Kokkinakis, was also knocked out, retiring on one leg in the fifth set against French Richard Gasquet.

After six men retired on Monday, Kokkinakis, Baghdatis, Ernests Gulbis and Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Nedovyesov joined the walking wounded on Tuesday.

Nedovyesov was down 6-0, 7-6 (7/2), 1-0 to former champion Lleyton Hewitt when he called a halt after suffering a right shoulder injury.

Wawrinka, the fifth seed and a semi-finalist in 2013, made the next round with a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) win over Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinoles.

In the women’s draw, Lucie Safarova joined the seeds casualty list when the Czech left-hander became the fourth top-10 player to lose in the first round, while world number two Simona Halep avoided the upsets when New Zealand opponent Marina Erakovic retired with a knee injury.

Aussie Samantha Stosur, whose 2011 US Open final win over Serena Williams was the last time the US world number one lost at Flushing Meadows, beat Timea Babos of Hungary 6-3, 6-4.

Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova needed just 59 minutes to beat German qualifier Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd,  2015.

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