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Stosur Begins U.S. Open Title Defense With a Rout Stosur Begins U.S. Open Title Defense With a Rout
(about 3 hours 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 storm clouds of the United States Open bearing down on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Monday, the biggest challenge for the defending champion Samantha Stosur of Australia 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 only Grand Slam victory. 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. Andy Murray of Britain had to wait through the rain delay, a United States Open tradition these days, to play Alex Bogomolov Jr. But Murray motored through his first-round match with similar urgency to Stosur.
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. He was not sharp in the opening games of the match, but he soon became comfortable, demolishing Bogomolov, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.
“I thought it was a 6 or 7 out of 10,” Murray said of his performance. “I didn’t serve particularly well at the beginning of the match, but I won in three sets against a tough player and that’s what I needed to do.”
Bogomolov, a former American player who now competes for Russia, could not make much of early service breaks against Murray in the first two sets. Eventually, Murray overpowered him with deep, angled shots that Bogomolov could only watch helplessly.
Like Stosur, Murray came here full of great thoughts, not about last year’s Open but about his last tournament, the Olympics in London. His emotional gold-medal victory against the world No. 1 Roger Federer was in stark contrast to his defeat by Federer in the Wimbledon final on the same court at the All-England Club.
“It was the biggest win of my career,” Murray said of the Olympics. “To play for my country in a home Olympics and win a gold medal, it was perfect.”
Stosur had a chance at a perfect first set on Monday. Martic did not win a point until the fifth game as Stosur raced 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. Maria Sharapova kept the schedule at Arthur Ashe Stadium running as smoothly as possible as after the rain delay. Sharapova, who won this year’s French Open to complete her career Grand Slam, defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-2, 6-2. The match took just an hour and seven minutes, which left Sharapova enough time to wave to fans with some daylight remaining.
Li is coming off a victory at the tournament in Cincinnati, her first there, and she said it has given her confidence a boost. 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 set when the rain started. She returned to the court to win the tiebreaker, 7-5.
“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.” Li Na of China, seeded ninth, was up, 6-2, 5-3, on Heather Watson of Britain and finished off the second set, 6-3, when play resumed.
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 the 16th-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany losing to unseeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. No. 18 Julia Goerges, another German, 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 received a wild card for the tournament after struggling with knee and shoulder injuries in the past year, won his first two sets, 7-5, 6-2, over Lukas Lacko of Slovakia before the delay. He lost the third set, 3-6, after play resumed but closed 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. Blake, ranked 114th, did not advance past the first round at the French Open or Wimbledon, but said he was the healthiest he has been in three or four years.
“I actually feel like I can move the way I used to or the way I need to to compete here,” he said.
The rain pushed back the schedule but has not scrambled it entirely. Yet. More rain was possible Monday night and was forecast for Tuesday. It would hardly be a United States Open without it.