Searing heat ends in retirements at US Open

– For Caroline Wozniacki, it was like “drinking a margarita on a beach” but for tearful Alize Cornet it was a “nightmare” as temperatures nudged towards the 40 degrees mark at the US Open yesterday.

Four of eight early men’s first round matches ended in retirements. Temperatures were expected to soar to 38 degrees, the effect made worse by humidity.

That may be short of the 41 degrees which remains New York’s record temperature recorded in 1936 but that was little comfort for Italian qualifier Stefano Travaglia who retired at 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 3-0 to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

“It was 36, 37 degrees but

New York

on court it was more,” said the 26-year-old who quit with cramps.

“To have 25 seconds between points in this weather is not possible. There was a lot of humidity, it was really tough.”

French player Cornet described the conditions as a “nightmare” as she slumped to a three-set loss to Johanna Larsson of Sweden. Cornet, 28, wept as she sat courtside, telling doctors that she was ready to vomit and felt pain in her head and bones.

In response to the conditions, tournament organisers have allowed the men to opt for a similar 10-minute off-court rest at two sets to one. “The tournament referee, along with the medical team, will continue to monitor on-site conditions, to determine when the Extreme Heat Policy will no longer be in effect,” said a spokesperson. That came too late for Travaglia, Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer, Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania and Romania’s Marius Copil who all quit their first round matches.

Berankis’s retirement was due to the heat, said the referee’s office, while Copil had “an arm strain”. Copil had been 5-1 up in the first set on 2014 champion Marin Cilic on the Grandstand when he quit in the third set.

“The conditions were really difficult and it’s tough on Marius. He really felt something,” said seventh seed Cilic.

Australian Open champion and second seed Wozniacki dreamed her heat troubles away as she defeated 2011 champion Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-2 on a sweltering Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I just tried to cool down between games, used ice. I’m just thinking I’m on the beach, I have a margarita in hand, life is good,” she said.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, pictured, was just happy to finish her 6-4, 6-1 win over Yanina Wickmayer before the afternoon began to really cook.

“I was pretty lucky to play first on today, definitely. I knew it’s going to be very hot, but I couldn’t imagine how horrible the heat was,” said the Czech.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. “... I thought it was pretty decent, like, Florida summers are way worse, I think,” she said after beating Laura Siegemund of Germany 6-3, 6-2. –