NEW YORK (Reuters) — Former champion Dominic Thiem’s final appearance at the U.S. Open ended tamely on Monday after he was beaten 6-4 6-2 6-2 in the first round by American Ben Shelton.
The Austrian has struggled to reproduce the form that carried him to the 2020 Flushing Meadows title and announced he would retire from the sport this season after being troubled by a wrist injury in recent years.
Shelton leaned on his powerful forehand and sent over eight aces to open the action on Arthur Ashe Stadium, as the 21-year-old hopes to recapture the magic of his charmed run to the semi-finals 12 months ago.
Despite struggling with his serve, Thiem showed he had some fight left in him as he fended off two break points in the 10th game but a relentless Shelton forced him into an error to break him on the third attempt to take the opening set.
The American extinguished Thiem’s lone break point opportunity in the opening game of the second set and the Austrian handed Shelton a break in the second game with a double fault and an unforced error.
Shelton showed he could be a threat over the next two weeks as he broke Thiem again to close out the second set. He ran away with the match in the third set, pummeling 34 winners in a confident performance.
“Not much better atmosphere than being here at Ashe,” said Shelton, who will next play Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut. “I’m glad that I had the opportunity to open it up here.”
Thiem, who hoisted the trophy in front of empty stands in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, stayed back on court for ages on Monday to sign memorabilia for fans.
“I am super happy I got the chance to play my last U.S. Open match on this court,” Thiem said.
“I can now spend some time with you guys to say thank you to all of you and to make the time up that we missed four years ago.”
Defending champion Gauff flattens Gracheva
Defending champion Coco Gauff overcame early nerves to cruise by France’s Varvara Gracheva 6-2 6-0 in the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday.
Gauff was popular as ever with her home crowd as she sent 10 aces over on Arthur Ashe Stadium, showing her determination to put a string of frustrating performances behind her in New York.
“I was just trying to enjoy the match,” said Gauff, who set up a meeting with German Tatjana Maria in the next round. “I think today was the best tennis I’ve played in a while.”
Gauff suffered early exits at tune-up tournaments in Cincinnati and Toronto and there were early signs of trouble as she had five double faults in the first set.
She had to fend off three break points to hold her serve in the second game but the world number three found her footing from there, breaking her opponent’s serve in the third and seventh games.
Gracheva was never able to match Gauff’s firepower, with 25 unforced errors and just five winners, as the American broke her on the fourth try in the opening game of the second set.
Gauff ploughed through the second set in 27 minutes, upping her level across the board as she produced only five unforced errors.
She exclaimed with frustration as she hit the ball out of bounds to give her opponent a break point chance in the final game, but got back on track with a pair of aces before her opponent handed her the match with an error on the final point.
The 20-year-old pumped her fist with satisfaction after clinching the win and reminded fans that she was bringing a new mentality to Flushing Meadows a year after winning her maiden major.
“It was definitely a lot of pressure, this tournament, but I’m just enjoying it,” said Gauff. “Whatever happens, happens.”
Olympic champ Zheng staying grounded to avoid post-Paris letdown
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen said she refuses to let history repeat itself as she hopes for a deep run at the U.S. Open after claiming China’s first tennis singles gold in Paris.
She has in the past followed big tournaments with sub-par showings, a fate the 21-year-old would need to avoid to win her first major.
Zheng cleared the first hurdle as she battled back from a set down to defeat American Amanda Anisimova in New York on Monday.
“It’s the typical match I will lose, especially after huge success, because as I know myself. Usually after huge success I will get a little bit too high,” Zheng said.
“So this time when I get a success, I’m telling myself, I don’t want to let this happen. I’m going to continue working hard, keep the stable mindset,” she said.
Zheng is no stranger to stumbling soon after soaring in the biggest moments.
Last year’s quarterfinals appearance at the U.S. Open was followed by a first-round exit at the China Open. And after reaching the Australian Open final this year, she suffered a sub-par performance at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.
“I had this experience already. So this time when I had success in (the) Olympic Games, to come to (the) next tournament, I say, everything starts (at) zero. You are not anymore Olympic champion,” Zheng said.
“Just be humble and try to work, fight every single match. Because if you don’t fight, you have a big chance you lost.”
Zheng will face Russian Erika Andreeva in the second round.