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Journalism of Courage
Playing with his left wrist heavily bandaged, Rafael Nadal won his first Grand Slam match in more than three months, easily beating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 at the U.S. Open. Nadal’s first-round victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday was straightforward. He produced 14 of his 21 winners via his forehand, which showed little sign of being troubled by a wrist he says is still not completely healed. Nadal hadn’t played at a major since winning his second-round match at the French Open on May 26. He then withdrew from Roland Garros before the third round and sat out Wimbledon because of the problematic wrist.
Australian Open champ Angelique Kerber advanced to the second round at the U.S. Open when her opponent retired early in the second set without winning a game. The second-seeded Kerber led 6-0, 1-0 after 33 minutes when Polona Hercog stopped. The 120th-ranked Slovenian won just nine points in seven games. After the first set on a 90-degree day, Hercog took a medical timeout. Trainers checked her blood pressure and rubbed ice bags on her legs. Hercog, who’s never been past the third round at a major, came in 2-1 against Kerber in tour-level matches, though they hadn’t met since 2011. Kerber, who lost to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final, has a chance to overtake her for the No. 1 ranking depending on their results at Flushing Meadows.
Richard Gasquet, the first seeded player to lose at the U.S. Open, summed up his quick exit this way: “Not sure I could do worse.” The 13th-seeded Gasquet, a semifinalist at Flushing Meadows in 2013, hadn’t lost in the first round at a Grand Slam tournament since the French Open 6{ years ago. His 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 loss Monday was the first career victory over a player ranked in the top 15 for No. 84 Kyle Edmund of Britain. (AP)
As it happened – US Open
# Garbine Muguruza has comeback to win! She survives her first round and the 3rd seed has beaten Elise Bertens 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 to advance to second round
# That is it! Rafael Nadal cruises into the second round after beating Istomin in straight sets 6-1 6-4 6-2 in the opening round match
# That was some domination by Garbine Muguruza! She wins the second set 6-0 to even things up against Mertens
# Rafael Nadal is leading Istomin 2-1 in the third set. He is looking better than the second set and is all likely to close the match in this set
# Gael Monfils moves on! He wins the set third set 7-5 and the match 6-2 6-2 7-5 against Giles Muller to go into second round
# Rafael Nadal nails it! He leads 6-1 6-4 and is just one set away from advancing to the second round at the US Open 2016
# Nadal wins the ninth game and he now leads 5-4. He was once again stretched in this game. But the Spainard looks comfortable
# Excellent play from Istomin! He has won three straight games to tie the second set 4-4. Nadal to serve for the lead
# Elise Mertens takes the first set 6-2 against French Open champion Garbine Muguruza. The Spaniard needs to find a way to get past the Belgian
# Elise Mertens of Belgium looking good for winning the first set against Garbine Muguruza. She leads the Spaniard 4-1 in the first set
# Rafael Nadal is clearly dominating Istomin! He now leads 4-1 in the second set. He has held his calf a couple of times but doesn’t look in trouble
# Gael Monfils takes the second set as well. The French is leading Gilles Muller 6-2 6-2 and is looking good for advancing into the next round
# 20th seed John Isner is having a troubled time in his opening round match against Frances Tiafoe. He trails Tiafoe 3-6 4-6
# Monfils leading Mullers 5-2 in the second set after winning the first. The crowd is getting behind Monfils
# Gael Monfils and Gilles Muller involved in an intense battle. Monfils has won the first set and is leading Mullers in the second set
# Nith seed Svetlana Kuznetsova beats Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-1 6-2 to advance into 2nd round
# Nadal up with a break against Istomin. A dominating performance in the first set so far. He leads Istomin 4-1
# Rafael Nadal is up 2-1 against Istomin. Both players holding their serves. Nadal looking fit and is covering a good amount of court
# Rafael Nadal is on the Arthur Ashe court and is taking on Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan
# Angelique Kerber advances after spending just half an hour on court. Hercog retires and Aus Open winner advances without losing a game
# Townsend’s forehand goes long and Wozniacki wins 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Talk about a way to open things on the new Grandstand!
# Beautifully struck forehand by Wozniacki. Jumped on to the high ball and ran it down the line. Match point
# Mishit by Townsend on the backhand and it is deuce.
# Townsend goes inside out on a short ball and Wozniacki’s running forehand hits the net. Break point from 30-0 up!
# Lucky let chord for the American. Hits the top of the net and climbs on to Wozniacki. The Dane can’t control her backhand and it is 30-30
# Wozniacki errs on the backhand as Townsend approaches the net. 30-15
# Wozniacki serves for the match at 5-4 and two errors from Townsend’s forehand draws the former World No 1 closer to the second round
# Cilic is through to the second round with a straight set win 6-4, 7-5, 6-1 over Dutra Silva
# Live major updates from all courts then: Kerber is 3-0 up on Ashe, Cilic wins is broken at 5-0 up as he served for the match against Brazilian Dutra Silva, Taylor Townsend against Wozniacki is into the final set and it is going right to the wire (4-4 now)
# Kvitova has easily braved the challenge of Ostapenko to win 7-5, 6-3
# Elsewhere, winning start for finalist from 2015 Roberta Vinci. Straight sets win (6-2, 6-4) over Friedsam
# Big, big win this for Kyle Edmund. Beats the number 13 seed Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
# Edmund with another forehand wins the second set 6-2, 6-2
# Edmund with a steaming forehand and that’s another straightforward hold. Edmund 6-2, 3-2
# Gasquet with a backhand into the net to follow before Edmund puts away another forehand volley, Edmund 2-1 in the second set
# Friedsam to serve first in the second set from Arthur Ashe Stadium
# Italy’s seventh seed Vinci is one set up against Friedsam, after finishing the first set with a score of 6-2
# Kyle Edmund wins the first set 6-2 against Richard Gasquet, Edmund seals that game with an ace out wide
# While in women’s singles, Italy’s Roberta Vinci is one short of winning the first set against the German Friedsam
# Advantage point for the Brit, and Edmud stiffs Gasquet with a cute drop shot before he outlasts the French in a lengthy rally.
# Edmund with a massive forehand down the line but a backhand return from Gasquet earns him a point. Edmund leads 4-2
# Frenchman Richard Gasquet in action against Kyle Edmund of Great Britain in men’s singles on court 5
# Croatio’s Marin Cilic in action against Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra Silva at Louis Armstrong Stadium
# Seventh seed Roberta Vinci of Italy plays Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam at Arthur Ashe Stadium
Build Up
After a set off Serena Williams, Christina McHale aims for US Open success
Since Christina McHale won a first-set tiebreaker against her idol Serena Williams at Wimbledon last month, she’s played three tournaments and World Team Tennis to prepare for the U.S. Open.
Before considering a rematch, McHale needs to defeat first-round opponent Mona Barthel of Germany on Monday.
McHale hasn’t advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam, but her confidence grew after a 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4 loss to the eventual Wimbledon champion, who earned a record-tying 22nd major singles title.
“There were a lot of positives I took from my Serena match,” McHale said. “The first and most important for me being that I can compete with the best. That match has really motivated me to keep working and improving.”
McHale served well early and kept Williams off balance in winning the tiebreaker during the second-round match at Wimbledon. In the second set, McHale went up 40-15 on serve, with two chances to take a 3-0 lead.
But she double-faulted and Williams ran off 11 straight points. McHale also double-faulted on a game point and Williams attacked her second serves to break for 5-4.
It was a lesson in thought management for the 24-year-old McHale.
“You think about the big picture all of a sudden,” Billie Jean King said. “Your brain goes from one ball at a time to, ‘Oh crap, I’m up playing for 3-0 and I’m up a set already. I should win this.”’
McHale played nearly every day for two weeks in early August for the New York Empire in the World Team Tennis league co-founded by King. The tennis great knows it’s important to stay focused and relaxed during critical points.
“Serena talks about being in the zone,” King said. “Everybody understands that means stay in the present and be in the now. It sounds so easy. Before the point is how you tee it up and get ready. Seventy-five percent of the time in the match, you are not hitting a ball.”
McHale started playing tennis in Hong Kong, where she lived from age 3 to 8 and learned to speak Mandarin. She also was a competitive swimmer growing up in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. She turned pro in 2010, and last year, she moved to South Florida to train at the USTA National Tennis Center in Boca Raton.
Her older sister Lauren graduated from North Carolina, where she played tennis for the Tar Heels. Lauren is engaged to American tennis player Ryan Harrison.
Christina reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 24 in 2012. She’s coached by Jorge Todero, who has guided her the last five years. McHale has posted wins over former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
“He’s gotten me to use my forehand more,” McHale said of the Argentine. “I try to hit as many forehands as I can, go to my strength in the pressure moments.”
She’s currently ranked 55th with a 31-20 record this year. Her first serve percentage is just 59 percent, with 64 percent of those points won. She’s had 119 aces and 136 double-faults.
After Wimbledon, McHale upset eighth-seeded Monica Niculescu at the Citi Open in Washington in mid-July. She then lost to Jessica Pegula, daughter of Buffalo Bills and Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula, 7-5, 6-2.
She bowed out in the second round in Montreal at the Rogers Cup, but joined Asia Muhammad to defeat the top-ranked doubles team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals.
McHale, who recently reached the second round in Cincinnati, is among 19 American women in the U.S. Open. Next up is Barthel, who she beat in matchups in Seoul in 2014 and Madrid in 2015.
If McHale gets past her, she’ll play the winner of Roberta Vinci vs. Anna-Lena Friedsam. Vinci took out Williams in the semifinals of the U.S. Open last year, ending the quest for a calendar year Grand Slam.
