NEW YORK: Roger Federer glided into the second round on a hot, steamy day at Flushing Meadows, while Andy Murray ushered talented young Australian Nick Kyrgios out of another Grand Slam event at the US Open on Tuesday.

Murray had beaten 37th-ranked Kyrgios in straight sets in their three previous meetings, eliminating him this year from two other Grand Slams, in the Australian quarter-finals and third round of the French Open.

And the third-seeded Scotsman sent Kyrgios packing in the first round 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Earlier, second seed Federer was the envy of a clutch of men’s players made to work overtime in the 90-degree heat by quickly dismissing his opening opponent.

Five-time champion Federer, who has been in sizzling form since reaching the Wimbledon finals, dashed past 34th-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 6-1 6-2 6-2.

Murray next meets French left-hander Adrian Mannarino, while Federer faces Belgian Steve Darcis, who advanced 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-2, 3-1 when Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus retired.

Baghdatis became the fifth player to retire on Tuesday after seven quit their matches on Monday as the toll of late season injuries and the searing heat presented severe challenges at the US National Tennis Center.

Among other shortened matches, Australian Lleyton Hewitt, the 2001 US Open winner, advanced 6-0, 7-6 (7-2), 1-0 when Aleksandr Nedovyseov of Kazakhstan retired.

Hewitt, playing in his final US Open, will take on compatriot Bernard Tomic for a place in the last 32. Tomic, seeded 24,th beat Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-3.

Misfortune favoured the French and went the other way for the Aussies when 12th seed Richard Gasquet advanced 4-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 2-0 when Thanasi Kokkinakis retired.

Other players were sorely tested on the court.

Three players in the bottom half of the men’s draw had to go the distance under the sun, including French 11th seed Gilles Simon, who lost 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 to American Donald Young.

In another wrenching defeat for France, Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka beat Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (7-9), 6-1, 6-2.

Dutchman Robin Haase also made a Houdini-like escape against Germany’s Dustin Brown to register a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

Stan Wawrinka, the fifth seed and a semi-finalist in 2013, made the next round with a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) win over Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinoles.

In the women’s draw, Lucie Safarova joined the seeds casualty list when the Czech left-hander became the fourth top-10 player to lose in the first round.

Sixth-seeded Safarova slipped to a 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, the woman she beat in the semi-finals in New Haven just last week.

Fourteenth seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland was also shown the door, sent out by 42nd-ranked Czech Barbora Strycova 7-5, 6-0.

World number two Simona Halep avoided the upsets when New Zealand opponent Marina Erakovic retired with a knee injury. Halep was leading 6-2, 3-0 when her 99th-ranked rival called it quits.

Aussie Samantha Stosur, whose 2011 US Open final win over Serena Williams was the last time the US world number one lost at Flushing Meadows, beat Timea Babos of Hungary 6-3, 6-4.

Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, the fifth seed, needed just 59 minutes to beat German qualifier Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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