US Open 2022: Serena, Medvedev sail into second round

The year-ending Grand Slam began on a fabulous note.

The 2022 US Open is underway amidst colossal anticipation and excitement. It is the final Grand Slam of the calendar year which will see a fantastic display of tennis by the players in different categories. The hard court surface is famous for producing high-intensity matches and the fans are eager to see who will emerge as the winner in their respective brackets this year.

The first day saw reigning Men’s Singles champion Danil Medvedev ease past Stefan Kozlov by a 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 score inside two hours and one minute. Serena Williams was also in action and she sailed into the next round after beating Danka Kovinic in straight sets by 6-3, 6-3. However, a major upset on the first day saw fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas bow out of the tournament following a 0-6, 1-6, 6-3, 5-7 defeat to Comobia’s Daniel Riveros.

Apart from these high-profile players, many others were in action in the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles categories respectively. Here is a roundup of key results from Day 1 of the 2022 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City:

Men’s Singles

Unseeded Andy Murray was up against 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo and he got the better of him following a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 win in Round One. Nick Kyrgios, the finalist at the 2022 Wimbledon was in a good mood as he went past compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis by 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(7-4). J.J. Wolf of the United States of America was too good for Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain. The unseeded 23-year-old toppled the 16th seed thanks to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 score.

Another major upset in this bracket saw tenth-seed American Taylor Fritz losing to his countryman Brandon Holt. Despite coming up against the highest ranked American, Holt secured the win by a 6-7(3-7), 7-6(7-1), 6-3, 6-4 score. Stanislas Wawrinka was also a first-round casualty. Corentin Moutet of France beat the odds to record a 6-4, 7-6(9-7) win over the Swiss veteran.  

Women’s Singles

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur was excellent in her performance as she beat Madison Brengle in the first round. The Tunisian won the contest by a 7-5, 6-2 score. Third seed Maria Sakkari had to dig deep to secure passage into the second round. She won her contest against Tatjana Maria of Germany by 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in one hour and 55 minutes. 

The second seed Anett Kontaveit also won her first-round tie. She was up against Jaqueline Adina Cristian of Romania and won the match by 6-3, 6-0. One of America’s hopes Coco Gauff was comfortable against Leolia Jeanjean of France and secured an easy 6-2, 6-3 win. There was disappointment in store for seventh seed Simona Halep. Ukraine’s 132-ranked Daria Snigur got the better of World No.7 by a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 score.