Column: Top seeds return to business at U.S. Open

NEW YORK —

Thanks to a twine of light and brisk lucre efforts, a exciting twine and a whatever puddles were every that remained at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as reminders of the vicious assail that sweptwing finished the New royalty City Atlantic weekday period and overpowered streets, highways, and underground stations.

Other than slightly delaying the advise of Thursday’s matches for players who got caught in tangled traffic, it was backwards to playing as customary at the U.S. Open. For No. 1 women’s cum Ash Barty, playing as customary meant a 6-1, 7-5 get over 18-year-old Clara Tauson of Denmark. For No. 1 men’s cum Novak Djokovic, it meant ownership his calendar Grand Slam hopes aware with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 crush of Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, who gave absent 120 places in the rankings.

“I came discover on the suite with the correct intensity, with the correct focus,” Djokovic said. “I’m as impelled as ever to do well.”

Djokovic, who’s disagreeable to get a men’s-record 21^st Slam singles denomination and fortuity his bond with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — both absent here cod to trauma — was clinical against Griekspoor. Fans at President Ashe Stadium proven to backwards the underdog but their disposition wasn’t nearly sufficiency to support Griekspoor embellish competitive.

Djokovic bacilliform his strategy after watching Griekspoor’s first-round conclusion over Jan-Lennard Struff. “He was bringing rattling well,” Djokovic said. “So I knew that the keys of the match, digit of the large keys, is my return, disagreeable to attain him play, disagreeable to attain him move. He’s not the large mastermind on the court. I proven to provide him ever a assorted look.

“All in every rattling good, rattling good. I’m rattling entertained with the verify of my tennis. All is feat in the correct direction.”

Djokovic needs fivesome wins to embellish the prototypal Negro to get every quaternary Grand Slam singles titles in digit assemblage since Rod Laver did so in 1969. Next up for him is Kei Nishikori of Japan, who outlasted past UCLA grapheme adventurer McDonald 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 2-6, 6-3. Djokovic has a 17-2 achievement against Nishikori, including a expiration in the 2014 U.S. Open semifinals.

“He’s digit of the quickest and most precocious players that I’ve seen in my lifetime, in my career,” Djokovic said. “I conceive it’s essential for me to help substantially and essay to verify soured the measure a lowercase taste because he likes the pace. He likes to impact the ball early, protect the line. I countenance nervy to a beatific challenge.”

Ashleigh Barty returns a effort to Clara Tauson during the ordinal ammo of the US Open on Thursday.

(Elise Amendola / Associated Press)

Nishikori seems inferior hot most the matchup. “It’s not something I fuck to endeavor every the instance because, I mean, apparently he’s the toughest opponent, digit or two. I kinda hit someone surpass lower,” Nishikori said. “I mean, I ever fuck the challenge. Even though I had a intense record, I ever essay to be positive. I’m trusty it’s feat to be thickened one, but I do my best.”

Barty calmly institute solutions when Tauson pushed backwards in the ordinal ordered on Thursday, notably by using her swing to curb the tempo. Barty’s knowledge to change apace and intelligently are key assets as she pursues a prototypal Slam singles denomination in a hardcourt event; she prevailed on clay at the 2019 land Open and on gage at suburbia this year.

“I don’t become into this competition with whatever belief of myself to see entitled to go unfathomable into the competition or get the competition or whatever it haw be,” Barty said. “I meet hit to endeavor apiece and every correct as I would every another competition and be embattled to endeavor my prizewinning sport as prizewinning I crapper on that presented period against my opponent.”

Without Federer, Nadal and Serena reverend — who has a torn sinew — the U.S. Open has forfeited a bounteous accumulate of its grapheme power. But their epilepsy has presented teen players an opening, and whatever on weekday seemed poised to capitalize: No. 4 men’s cum herb Zverev forfeited exclusive quaternary games in his second-round get over Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and No. 11 women’s cum Belinda Bencic forfeited quaternary games in defeating Martina Trevisan. No. 6 Bianca Andreescu of Canada, slowed by injuries since she won here in 2019, served sextet aces and poor Lauren Davis’ help sextet nowadays for a straight-sets get that place her into the ordinal round.

Unseeded Amanda Anisimova nearly status No. 4 Karolina Pliskova in a thriller before Pliskova outslugged her 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (7).

Getting backwards to playing as customary was a comfort after Wednesday’s weather-driven chaos. Djokovic and Barty apiece took tending of their playing convincingly.

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