Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova are safely through to the next round of the US Open after claiming straight-set victories on Tuesday.
On a blistering hot day that did not see one of the big guns go out, Federer strolled past the 117th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka to move to 18-0 in first-round matches at the US Open. The 37-year-old Federer came out of the blocks firing and took a two-set lead in just over an hour of play. He broke Nishioka four times to take the first two sets 6-2 and 6-2.
Federer took a 4-0 lead in the third and was serving for the set in the eighth game, but Nishioka extended the match by a couple of games. At the second time of asking Federer did not make the same mistake as he served out the match to move on to the next round with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic had to overcome nausea caused by excessive heat before he overcame Marton Fucsovics in four sets. The players were allowed 10-minute breaks in the third and fourth sets as the heat became unbearable out on the court. Those breaks in play definitely helped Djokovic, as he was trailing in the third, but after coming back from the break, he broke Fucsovics twice to seal the third set. Djokovic was brutal in the fourth, he did not lose a single game to advance to the next round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory.
On the women’s side of the draw, Sharapova progressed with a straight-sets victory over Patty Schnyder. In an opening set that saw six breaks of serve, it was Sharapova who came out on top to claim the first, 6-2. The second was a tighter affair, both women broke twice, but it was all tied up at six games all. Sharapova prevailed 8-6 in the tie-break to book her spot in the next round.
Other selected men’s results:
Kei Nishikori defeated Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Nick Kyrgios defeated Radu Albot 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Alexander Zverev defeated Peter Polansky 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
Other selected women’s results:
Angelique Kerber defeated Margarita Gasparyan 7-6(5), 6-3
Jelena Ostapenko defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Caroline Garcia defeated Johanna Konta 6-2, 6-2
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
