Alcaraz gets easy start to US Open title defense, Medvedev advances
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[August 30, 2023]
By Steve Keating and Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Carlos Alcaraz has surrendered the number one
world ranking but got his U.S. Open title defense off to an easy
start as injured German Dominik Koepfer retired against the
20-year-old top seed on Tuesday.
The season's final Grand Slam began on Monday with a change at the
top after Novak Djokovic demolished Frenchman Alexandre Muller to
ease into the second round - a result that meant the Serb will
replace Alcaraz as world number one when the rankings are updated on
Sept. 11.
But Alcaraz will have the number one attached to his name for the
duration of the Flushing Meadows fortnight and advanced to the
second round after Koepfer twisted his ankle minutes into the match
and later retired with the Spaniard up 6-2 3-2.
Alcaraz, bidding to become the first man to retain his U.S. Open
crown since Roger Federer won five straight from 2004 to 2008,
appeared unsteady at times on the North American hardcourts ahead of
the season's final Grand Slam but kept his composure on Tuesday with
few errors.
"I'm not thinking about defending the title. I was not thinking
about I was the champion last year," he told reporters.
"I just focus on play my best level, to recover the level that I
played last year, try to do same things that I did last year. That's
the only thing that I'm thinking right now."
With Alcaraz and Djokovic hogging the spotlight, Daniil Medvedev had
been the forgotten man but the third seeded Russian remains a threat
to claim his second U.S. Open title in three years.
He got everyone's attention when he dispatched Hungarian Attila
Balazs 6-1 6-1 6-0 in a speedy affair to kick off the action on
Arthur Ashe Stadium, firing off 41 winners to set up a second round
meeting with Australian Christopher O'Connell.
Andy Murray, the 2012 U.S. Open champion, recorded a landmark 200th
Grand Slam match win as he turned back the clock to beat young
Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-2 7-5 6-3.
The 36-year-old Scotsman said he was playing some of the best tennis
on a consistent level since 2017. He faces Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov
in the second round.
Italian sixth seed Jannik Sinner handily beat German Yannick
Hanfmann 6-3 6-1 6-1 and will play compatriot Lorenzo Sonego next.
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![](../images/083023PIX/sports61.jpg)
Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows,
New York, United States - August 29, 2023 Russia's Daniil Medvedev
in action during his first round match against Hungary's Attila
Balazs REUTERS/Mike Segar
![](../images/ads/current/graue_lda_4_2021.png)
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka sent off Belgian Maryna
Zanevska 6-3 6-2, closing out the action on Louis Armstrong Stadium
with 27 winners to set up a meeting with Britain's Jodie Burrage.
"I think she played an unbelievable match - she fought until the
end," the Australian Open champion said in on-court remarks. "I
think I'm most pleased with my focus... Hopefully I'll do better
with every game."
American Jessica Pegula took her place in the U.S. charge into the
second round as she fired off eight aces to swat aside Italy's
Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-2.
The third seed has taken a backseat to compatriot Coco Gauff in the
headlines, as local fans hope to see an American hoist the trophy
for the first time since 2017, but said she has no problem ceding
the spotlight.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/30/images/ads/current/hopedaleag_sda_FAIR_2023.png)
"Coco can take it, that pressure, not me," said Pegula, who will
play Romanian Patricia Maria Tig next. "It's nice that there is a
lot of us that are doing well and that have chances to go deep
here."
Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams came up short of her
goal to make it past the opening round for the first time since
2019, losing 6-1 6-1 to Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen in her 100th
U.S. Open match.
(Reporting by Steve Keating and Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by
Pritha Sarkar)
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