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| Stosur Begins U.S. Open Title Defense With a Rout | Stosur Begins U.S. Open Title Defense With a Rout |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| With the first rain clouds of the United States Open bearing down on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the biggest challenge for the defending champion Samantha Stosur of Australia on Monday was whether she could polish off Petra Martic of Croatia before the raindrops arrived. | With the first rain clouds of the United States Open bearing down on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the biggest challenge for the defending champion Samantha Stosur of Australia on Monday was whether she could polish off Petra Martic of Croatia before the raindrops arrived. |
| The answer was a definitive yes. Stosur, seeded seventh, took 51 minutes to put the final touches on a 6-1, 6-1 victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the site of her one and only Grand Slam victory, which came last year. Her reward this year was to kick off the first round of the Open and beat the weather, which halted play for several hours just after Stosur was safely off the court. | The answer was a definitive yes. Stosur, seeded seventh, took 51 minutes to put the final touches on a 6-1, 6-1 victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the site of her one and only Grand Slam victory, which came last year. Her reward this year was to kick off the first round of the Open and beat the weather, which halted play for several hours just after Stosur was safely off the court. |
| “I was really looking forward to getting this year’s tournament started,” Stosur said after the match. “Last year was the highlight of my career, so it’s really nice to come back to a place where I feel so comfortable.” | “I was really looking forward to getting this year’s tournament started,” Stosur said after the match. “Last year was the highlight of my career, so it’s really nice to come back to a place where I feel so comfortable.” |
| Stosur’s was one of few matches to finish before rain doused the courts for several hours. Play resumed just before 3 p.m., with Andy Murray taking his spot in Ashe Stadium to play the former American Alex Bogomolov Jr., who now plays for Russia. Murray, fresh off a victory in the Olympics, had his serve broken immediately but quickly turned the first set back in his favor, 6-2. He won the second set, 6-4. | |
| Stosur had little of that drama. Martic did not win a point until the fifth game as Stosur raced out to a 5-0 lead. Martic had not played since Wimbledon because of injury. She served well and accurately, but could manage only 7 winners to Stosur’s 22. | Stosur had little of that drama. Martic did not win a point until the fifth game as Stosur raced out to a 5-0 lead. Martic had not played since Wimbledon because of injury. She served well and accurately, but could manage only 7 winners to Stosur’s 22. |
| “I think it was a really good start,” Stosur said. “I thought I served really well. There isn’t really anything that I’d say I have to go out on the practice court and work on. Tomorrow I will go out there and practice and I will be trying, you know, to fine-tune a few things. | “I think it was a really good start,” Stosur said. “I thought I served really well. There isn’t really anything that I’d say I have to go out on the practice court and work on. Tomorrow I will go out there and practice and I will be trying, you know, to fine-tune a few things. |
| “But I think the first round is down, and it was a good start. As the week progresses, then you work on whatever you need to.” | “But I think the first round is down, and it was a good start. As the week progresses, then you work on whatever you need to.” |
| In other early matches, Marion Bartoli of France, the 11th seed, jumped out quickly on the American Jamie Hampton and was leading, 6-3, and headed to a tiebreaker in the second when the rain started. She returned to the court to win the tiebreaker, 7-5. Li Na of China, seeded ninth, was up, 6-2, 5-3, on Heather Watson of Britain and finished it off, 6-3, when play resumed. | In other early matches, Marion Bartoli of France, the 11th seed, jumped out quickly on the American Jamie Hampton and was leading, 6-3, and headed to a tiebreaker in the second when the rain started. She returned to the court to win the tiebreaker, 7-5. Li Na of China, seeded ninth, was up, 6-2, 5-3, on Heather Watson of Britain and finished it off, 6-3, when play resumed. |
| Li is coming off a victory at the tournament in Cincinnati, her first there, and she said it has given her confidence a boost. | |
| “At least I win the title this year, because before I was like three times in the final but I always lose in three sets,” she said. “Next time if I come to final again I can tell myself, O.K., you can do it like before.” | |
| There were two minor upsets on the women’s side, with No. 16 Sabine Lisicki of Germany losing to unseeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Julia Goerges of Germany, the 18th seed, lost to unseeded Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic, 7-6 (4), 6-1. | There were two minor upsets on the women’s side, with No. 16 Sabine Lisicki of Germany losing to unseeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Julia Goerges of Germany, the 18th seed, lost to unseeded Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic, 7-6 (4), 6-1. |
| James Blake, who rarely does anything quickly whether he is playing well or poorly, won his first two sets, 7-5, 6-2, over Lukas Lacko of Slovakia before the delay, then lost the third set, 3-6, after play resumed. He did close out the match by winning the fourth set, 6-3. | James Blake, who rarely does anything quickly whether he is playing well or poorly, won his first two sets, 7-5, 6-2, over Lukas Lacko of Slovakia before the delay, then lost the third set, 3-6, after play resumed. He did close out the match by winning the fourth set, 6-3. |
| The rain pushed back the schedule, but hasn’t scrambled it entirely. Yet. There is more rain possible Monday night and is in the forecast for Tuesday. It would hardly be the Open without it. |