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| August 27, 2003 | Wednesday | Jumadi-us-Sani 28, 1424 |
Kim Clijsters overcomes slow start, Hewitt wins
NEW YORK, Aug 26: World number one Kim Clijsters overcame a slow start and third seed Lindsay Davenport shrugged off injury fears as two of the tournament favourites booked safe passage into the second round of the U.S. Open on Monday.
American Davenport stormed through with a 6-1 6-0 demolition of Belgium’s Els Callens while Clijsters began her bid for a first career grand slam title in emphatic style by taming American wildcard Amber Lui 6-2 6-3.
They were joined in the winners’ circle by Clijsters’ long-term boyfriend and men’s sixth seed Lleyton Hewitt.
Champion here in 2001, Hewitt crushed Romania’s Victor Hanescu 6-3 6-2 6-2 in the night match at Flushing Meadows.
The Australian’s one-sided victory followed an emotional farewell by Pete Sampras, champion here last year.
The 32-year-old winner of a record 14 Grand Slam titles was treated to a standing ovation which reduced him to tears on center court.
“It’s not easy saying goodbye,” Sampras told the crowd. “I love playing here in New York but in my heart I know it (retirement) is the right thing to do.”
Hot favourite to win the women’s title following the withdrawal of defending champion Serena Williams and her sister, twice winner Venus, top seed Clijsters got her match off to a stuttering start against her 290th-ranked opponent.
But in the end, the Belgian needed only 62 minutes to reach the second round.
“I felt good...was moving good,” Clijsters told reporters. “That is a great feeling to have at a tournament.”
Davenport, champion here in 1998, raced through the opening set of her match in 21 minutes and then turned up the tempo in the second, completing the contest in a lightning-quick 47 minutes.
But eighth-seeded American Chanda Rubin produced a horrible performance as she crumbled in the first round 6-4 6-4 to Venezuelan Maria Vento-Kabchi.
Rubin, who reached the fourth round here last year, was at a loss to explain her display.
Earlier on day one of the US$17.1m Grand Slam, Ashley Harkleroad gave the home crowd something to cheer by racking up her first U.S. Open victory, the American teenager thumping Russian Vera Douchevina 6-4 6-2 in 65 minutes.
In the men’s draw, third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Czech Jan Vacek 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-2 but ninth seed Sebastien Grosjean and 17th seed Tommy Robredo fell.
Frenchman Grosjean, a Wimbledon semifinalist this year, lost to Paraguayan Ramon Delgado 6-4 6-7 4-6 7-6 6-4 and Robredo was beaten 6-3 6-4 6-2 by fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
Former finalist Greg Rusedski of Britain lost a marathon match 6-4 4-6 6-2 5-7 6-4 to Frenchman Gregory Carraz.
Davenport’s participation in the U.S. Open appeared in doubt on Saturday when she was forced to retire midway through the Pilot Pen final against Jennifer Capriati because of a painful, pinched toe nerve in her left foot.
The former world number one skipped a scheduled practice session on Sunday after receiving a cortisone injection on Saturday evening to help with the pain.
In the second round Davenport will take on Italy’s Maria Elena Camerin.
With the Williams sisters sidelined through injury, Davenport was rated as a top contender for the title until her foot injury flared again in New Haven.
But her performance against the 80th-ranked Callens indicated the 27-year-old American could still be a major threat at the season’s final Grand Slam.
First round results:
MEN:
Lleyton Hewitt bt Victor Hanescu 6-3 6-2 6-2; Taylor Dent bt Robin Soderling 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 3-6 6-4; Martin Verkerk bt Alex Bogomolov Jr (U.S.) 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 3-6 7-6 (11-9) 1-0 retired; Andreas Vinciguerra bt Robert Kendrick 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 1-6 6-1; Stefan Koubek bt Giorgio Galimberti 5-7 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4); Guillermo Coria bt Mariano Puerta 6-4 6-3 6-1; Wayne Ferreira bt Ivan Miranda 6-4 6-3 6-1; Robby Ginepri bt David Ferrer 6-2 6-3 6-3; Nikolay Davydenko bt Max Mirnyi 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-2 7-6 (8-6); Jonas Bjorkman bt Filippo Volandri 6-1 6-4 6-0; Arnaud Clement bt Brian Vahaly 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-4; Lee Hyung-taik bt Vladimir Voltchkov 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3); Bohdan Ulihrach bt Maximillian Abel 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-1; Tomas Berdych bt Tomas Behrend 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-3; Gregory Carraz bt Greg Rusedski 6-4 4-6 6-2 5-7 6-4; Kenneth Carlsen bt Jeff Morrison 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4; Davide Sanguinetti bt Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 4-6 6-0 3-6 6-1 6-1; Todd Martin bt Robert Yim 6-1 7-6 (9-7) 6-2; Ramon Delgado bt Sebastien Grosjean 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-4; Juergen Melzer bt Brian Baker 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-3; Mardy Fish bt Joachim Johansson 6-3 6-2 6-4.
Women:
Anca Barna bt Lina Krasnoroutskaya 6-1 0-6 6-3; Maria Kirilenko bt Theresa Logar 6-4 6-2; Petra Mandula bt Cara Black 7-5 6-2; Laura Granville bt Ansley Cargill 6-4 6-0; Daniela Hantuchova bt Marion Bartoli 6-3 6-2; Meghann Shaughnessy bt Karolina Sprem 6-3 6-2; Conchita Martinez bt Sarah Taylor 6-3 6-4; Fabiola Zuluaga bt Akiko Morigami 6-1 6-4; Julia Vakulenko bt Barbara Rittner 7-5 6-2; Melinda Czink be Clarisa Fernandez 3-6 6-1 7-5; Maja Matevzic bt Corina Morariu 6-3 7-5; Lisa Raymond bt Tatiana Poutchek 6-3 7-6 (7-1); Maria Elena Camerin bt Daja Bedanova 6-4 6-0; Lindsay Davenport bt Els Callens 6-1 6-0; Milagros Sequera bt Zuzana Ondraskova 6-2 6-1; Barbara Schett bt Janette Husarova 7-6 (7-3) 7-5; Alicia Molik bt Jelena Kostanic 7-6 (7-4) 6-3; Myriam Casanova bt Eleni Daniilidou 6-3 6-1; Stephanie Cohen Aloro bt Alina Jidkova 6-2 6-4; Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Flavia Pennetta 6-1 6-1; Amelie Mauresmo bt Angelique Widjaja 6-0 6-2; Amanda Coetzer bt Gabriela Lastra 6-0 6-2; Patty Schnyder bt Bea Bielik 6-1 6-4; Denisa Chladkova bt Adriana Serra Zanetti 6-4 1-6 6-1; Kim Clijsters bt Amber Lui 6-2 6-3.—Reuters
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