The second round of the US Open Tennis Championships saw it all, with title favourites showing their class and a number of seeded players crashing out of the tournament.
Amongst the men’s winners at Flushing Meadows were top-ranked trio Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev, while Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka made the big headlines in the women’s draw.
Second-round joy for Sinner, Zverev
Defending champion and world number one Sinner – chasing his third Grand Slam of the year – was mightily impressive in a two-hour 6-3 6-2 6-2 demolition of the dangerous Alexei Popyrin in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Obviously, I try to play the best tennis I can,” Sinner told reporters after the straight-sets win.
“The first-round matches are always different compared to the further you go. I’m very happy that I managed these matches as good as I could.
“When you are up two sets and a break, you try to serve as best as you can. It felt like neither of us served well but I was returning well, especially on the second serve.
“I’m happy – I’m aiming to improve on the serve, but the rest of my game I’m comfortable with.”
The Italian will face 27th seed Denis Shapovalov next, the Canadian having got the better of Valentin Royer 7-6 3-6 7-6 6-3.
Third seed Zverev, meanwhile, needed all of his experience to contain a feisty Jacob Fearnley 6-4 6-4 6-4 in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“Credit to him – he started playing unbelievable tennis,” the German admitted during the on-court interview.
“There wasn’t much I did wrong, but he played some fantastic points. He made it interesting in the end, but I’m happy to be through.”
Much like Sinner, Zverev has a Canadian challenge on his hands in the third round – 25th seed Felix Auger Aliassime, who defeated Roman Safiullin 6-1 7-6 7-6.
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Wins for Świątek, Gauff and Osaka
Second seed Świątek suffered a scare against Suzan Lamens on Arthur Ashe, needing a fair amount of grit to clinch a 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory over her unheralded opponent.
“I felt like it kind of depended on me and if I’m going to make mistakes or not,” a relieved Świątek explained to the media afterwards.
“Probably got a little tight in the second set and she for sure used the opportunity. I did some mistakes, so I’m happy that at the end I could be more proactive.
“Third set is a reset – you’ve got to start from the beginning and I knew I could do a little bit more.”
The Pole moves on to battle 29th seed Anna Kalinskaya, with the Russian having overpowered Yulia Putintseva 6-1 7-5.
Third seed Gauff had a similar wobble on the same court, struggling once again with her service game before wearing out the unseeded Donna Vekić 7-6 6-2.
“Honestly, it was a tough match for me, but I’m just happy with how I was able to manage,” a tearful Gauff claimed in the on-court interview.
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks. You guys bring me so much joy. I’m doing this for myself but also for you. No matter how tough it gets inside, you can do it.
“I think I just show people what it’s like to be a human. And I have bad days, but I think it’s more about how you get up after those bad moments and how you show up after that.
“I think I showed that I can get up after feeling the worst I’ve ever felt on the court.”
Next up for the American is a clash with Polish 28th seed Magdalena Fręch, who vanquished Peyton Stearns 6-7 6-3 6-2.
It was smoother sailing for two-time US Open winner and 23rd seed Osaka on Louis Armstrong as a 6-3 6-1 success put paid to Hailey Baptiste’s tournament.
“I was just really trying to focus and not give her any free points and just be positive,” the Japanese star said, according to Sky Sports.
“I was really stressed the entire time. I’m really excited to be moving better.”
Lying in wait for Osaka is 15th seed Daria Kasatkina, thanks to the Aussie’s topsy-turvy 6-2 4-6 7-5 win over Kamilla Rakhimova.
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Alcaraz, Fritz, Shelton and Djokovic advance
In the men’s top 10, second seed Carlos Alcaraz smashed Mattia Bellucci 6-1 6-0 6-3, fourth seed Taylor Fritz outlasted qualifier Lloyd Harris 4-6 7-6 6-2 6-4, and sixth seed Ben Shelton prevailed against Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-2 6-4.
Seventh seed Novak Djokovic also overcame qualifier Zachary Svajda 6-7 6-3 6-3 6-1, eighth seed Alex de Minaur trumped qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki 6-2 6-4 6-2, and 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti blasted David Goffin 6-4 6-0 6-2.
Backing up Shelton in the American contingent, 14th seed Tommy Paul survived a Nuno Borges fright to win 7-6 6-3 5-7 5-7 7-5 and 17th seed Frances Tiafoe beat qualifier Martin Damm 6-4 7-5 6-7 7-5.
There were a number of five-set losses for seeded players as Kamil Majchrzak floored ninth seed Karen Khachanov 2-6 6-7 6-4 7-5 7-6, qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff shocked 11th seed Holger Rune 7-6 2-6 6-3 4-6 7-5, and Raphael Collignon upset 12th seed Casper Ruud 6-4 3-6 3-6 6-4 7-5.
Qualifier Ugo Blanchet then sent 16th seed Jakub Mensik packing 6-7 7-6 3-6 6-4 7-6, Arthur Rinderknech subdued 18th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4 3-6 2-6 6-2 6-3, and qualifier Leandro Riedi stunned 19th seed Francisco Cerundolo 3-6 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-2.
British hopes unfortunately took a massive hit when fifth seed Jack Draper withdrew from his clash with Zizou Bergs due to an arm injury, although Cameron Norrie came through his test against Francisco Comesana 7-6 6-3 6-7 7-6.
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Raducanu, Sabalenka, Pegula into third round
For the contending women, top seed Aryna Sabalenka triumphed over Polina Kudermetova 7-6 6-2, fourth seed Jessica Pegula dismantled Anna Blinkova 6-1 6-3, and fifth seed Mirra Andreeva bested Anastasia Potapova 6-1 6-3.
Elsewhere, seventh seed Jasmine Paolini toppled Iva Jović 6-3 6-3, eighth seed Amanda Anisimova dispatched Maya Joint 7-6 6-2, ninth seed Elena Rybakina got the job done against qualifier Tereza Valentova 6-3 7-6, and 10th seed Emma Navarro made light work of wildcard Catherine McNally, winning 6-2 6-1.
Some surprising results included Ann Li humbling 16th seed Belinda Bencic 6-3 6-3 and qualifier Priscilla Hon overturning 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova 4-6 6-3 6-2.
In other matches, former French Open and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková ousted Moyuka Uchijima 6-4 6-2, two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka knocked out Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-3, and 2021 US Open victor Emma Raducanu crunched qualifier Janice Tjen 6-2 6-1.
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SportJustSport writers