‘Tough playing a great friend’
UNPRECEDENTED: QUESTIONS ON IMPARTIALITY RAISED
Satisfied with a solid performance, Kevin Anderson (below) admitted he was relieved to get his second-round match out the way at the US Open after sweeping aside close friend Jeremy Chardy of France in straight sets.
Anderson, a finalist here last season, cruised past Chardy by securing a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Wednesday night.
After requiring more than four hours to negotiate his way past American Ryan Harrison in his first-round match, Anderson needed less than two hours to bury Chardy’s title ambitions.
The No 5 seed, enjoying the best season of his career on the ATP Tour, reached the third round at Flushing Meadows for the fifth year in succession.
He was set to meet Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov, who stunned his opponents by reaching the fourth round of the prestigious tournament last season, for a place in round four.
“It was pretty hot out here today,” Anderson told the event website after his clash against Chardy.
“The ball was flying around a bit and the last game was obviously a little tricky, but overall I played a great match.
“It’s always tough playing Jeremy. He’s a great friend of mine.”
Meanwhile, fellow South African Raven Klaasen got his campaign off to a promising start with Michael Venus of New Zealand in the men’s doubles competition.
Klaasen and Venus, who entered the tournament as the No 8 seeds, eased past Lukas Lacko of Slovakia and John Millman of Australia with a 6-2, 6-2 win in the first round.
The duo, who reached the finals at Wimbledon earlier this year and again at the Canadian Masters earlier this month, cruised into the second round.
They were scheduled to face either Argentina’s Maximo Gonzalez and Chile’s Nicolas Jarry, or the pairing of Spaniard David Marrero and Polish partner Marcin Matkowski, for a spot in round three.
Player says Lahyani was ‘just concerned’ with how he played.
Nick Kyrgios was told to try harder at the US Open yesterday – by a frustrated umpire who controversially climbed out of his chair to give the Australian a pep talk, telling him: “I want to help you.”
Kyrgios was a set and 0-3 down to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Court 17 when umpire Mohamed Lahyani lost patience with the under-performing 30th seed.
“He was just concerned with the way I was playing,” said Kyrgios after the match which he won 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-0, pocketing 19 of the last 25 games following Lahyani’s intervention.
Lahyani had stunned the crowd when he stood over the seated Kyrgios, berating the 23-year-old in the second set.
“I want to help you,” Lahyani could be heard saying to the player as questions on an official’s impartiality began to be raised on social media. “This isn’t you. I know that. You are great for tennis.”
At 2-5 down in the second set, Kyrgios even spent the changeover slumped in his chair with his arms behind his head, biting on a towel and fidgeting with his eyebrows as the second round clash appeared to be slipping away from him.
Richard Ings, a former umpires chief on the ATP, said Lahyani’s move was unprecedented.
“I am racking my brain to think of a situation requiring a chair umpire to speak like that to one player,” Ings tweeted.
“I umpired thousands of matches I was ATP head of officiating I can’t think of one.”
Croatia player Donna Vekic added: “Didn’t know umpires were allowed to give pep talks.”
Kyrgios has had a chequered history in the sport, picking up a series of fines and sanctions for his on-court behaviour.
At Wimbledon in 2015, he was accused of “tanking” against Richard Gasquet.
At the 2016 Shanghai Masters, he was fined and banned for eight weeks for “lack of best efforts” against Mischa Zverev.
On his way to a 6–3, 6–1 loss in just 48 minutes in that games, he was heard to ask the umpire: “Can you call time so I can finish this match and go home?”
Kyrgios will next face either five-time champion Roger Federer or Benoit Paire of France for a last-16 spot. –