Too easy for Vinci, Kvitova
NEW YORK — Roberta Vinci, the 2015 runner-up, and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova booked US Open third round spots on Wednesday.
Seventh seeded Italian Vinci, defeated by compatriot Flavia Pennetta in last year’s final, eased past Christina McHale of the United States 6-1, 6-3.
The 33-year-old, playing at Flushing Meadows for the 14th time, goes on to face either Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan or Germany’s Carina Witthoeft.
World number one Novak Djokovic received a free pass into the third round of the US Open when Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic withdrew from their match on Wednesday due to a left forearm injury.
The walkover provided the topseeded defending champion with an extended break to improve his niggling left wrist injury before his next match against either Guido Pella of Argentina or Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.
The 23-year-old Vesely, ranked 49th, beat Djokovic in the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo event in April in their only meeting, making him one of two top 100 players with more wins than losses against the Serbian.
Kvitova, the 14th seeded Czech who recorded her best performance in New York 12 months ago when she made the last-eight, beat Turkey’s Cagla Buyukakcay 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.
Kvitova was in her trademark allor-nothing mood, mixing up 31 winners with 30 unforced errors against her 26-year-old opponent who was the first Turkish woman to play in the main draw at the tournament. Up next for Kvitova is Ukrainian 22nd seed Elina Svitolina who put out Lauren Davis of the United States 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
Later Wednesday, defending champion and world number one Djokovic, who needed treatment on a right upper arm injury during his laboured four-set win over Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz on Monday, was to face Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic. Vesely inflicted a rare defeat on the Serb when he triumphed on clay at Monte Carlo in April.
Meanwhile, American Steve Johnson saved half a dozen match points in the third set as he rallied from two sets down to reach the second round of the US Open on Tuesday. The 19th seed, who won his first ATP title in Nottingham this year, trailed Russian Evgeny Donskoy 6-4, 6-1, 5-2 before he managed to turn things around for a 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-3 victory in three hours 12 minutes. Serving at 2-5 in the third to stay in the match, Johnson trailed 0-40 but managed to hang on — then faced two more match points two games later. Asked how he pulled off the great escape, Johnson admitted he wasn’t quite sure.
“The last three-and-a-half hours have been a little bit of a blur, to be honest,” he said. “I was ready to pack my bags and go home, and I just found a way to get out of that service game at 5-2.