Tsitsipas outlasts Murray in 5 sets
NEW YORK — Andy Murray tumbled to the ground on his artificial hip, losing his balance in sweat-soaked shoes and leaving splotches on Arthur Ashe Stadium’s blue court from his soggy clothing.
Murray muttered to himself, as he often does. He yelled toward his team about needing new footwear. Soon enough Monday, a second-set tiebreaker had slipped away, too, against No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In an entertaining contest featuring plenty of the smart play, hard hustling and clutch serving that carried Murray to the U.S. Open title nearly a decade — and a pair of hip operations — ago, he didn’t quite have enough to come out ahead after almost five hours in high heat and humidity.
Rattled by a lengthy delay before the final set, Murray wound up losing to the much younger Tsitsipas 2-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 as the year’s last Grand Slam tournament got underway with fans in the stands a year after they were banned because of the coronavirus pandemic.
With exits for Murray and 2014 champ Marin Cilic, who stopped playing because of an injury late against Philipp Kohlschreiber, the only man left in the draw after Day One with even one Grand Slam title is No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
He will debut Tuesday night as he tries to break a tie for the men’s mark of 20 majors with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Earlier Monday, there were victories for 2017 champion Sloane Stephens, who edged Madison Keys 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in a rematch of their final four years ago; multiple Grand Slam title winners and former No. 1s Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza; 2020 runner-up Victoria Azarenka and 17-year-old American Coco Gauff.
“It almost brings me to tears,” the 21st-seeded Gauff said after advancing to face Stephens with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 comeback against Magda Linette, “because I missed playing in front of this crowd so much.”
Spectators were let in at 100% capacity and some complained of delays getting in, which the U.S. Tennis Association said were largely caused by the time it took to inspect bags at the entry gates.
The USTA added that checking for proof of vaccination required to attend the event this year went smoothly and didn’t contribute in a significant way to long lines.
And those lucky enough to be in Ashe rose and roared in unison when Murray smacked a forehand winner to claim the third set. He raised his right hand overhead and leaned forward as he shouted, “I’m not ... done! Let’s go!”
But it was Tsitsipas who wasn’t finished. He got treatment from a trainer on his left foot after that set, then headed off court following the fourth for a bathroom break that bothered Murray.
After he got broken right away and fell behind 2-0 in the fifth, Murray complained aloud, saying: “It’s never taken me that long to go to the toilet. Ever.”
Ultimately, the physical nature of the match against just-turned-23 and French Open finalist Tsitsipas, with the humidity at 70% and the temperature in the low-80s, required a bit more than the 34-year-old from Scotland could give. He’s a former No. 1 who won Wimbledon twice in addition to his 2012 title in New York, but he has been sidetracked by a series of injuries.
Given his age and health history, it was remarkable that Murray was out there at all, let alone coming close to becoming, at No. 112 this week, the lowest-ranked man to upset an opponent in the top three at the U.S. Open since the computerized ATP rankings began in 1973.
After a third-round exit at Wimbledon early last month, Murray sounded rather glum about his future, frustrated that his body wasn’t well enough to allow him to practice as much as he’d like to be properly competitive.
On Saturday, Murray opined that taking on Tsitsipas would be “a good test for me to see where my game’s at.”
He seemed to pass that test. He much rather would have won.
Feeling fine: Carla Suárez Navarro couldn’t get too upset about a first-round loss in the U.S. Open. Not when this time last year, she didn’t know if she’d even have the chance to play again.
Suárez Navarro, who returned to the tour earlier this year after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, was beaten by No. 26 seed Danielle Collins 6-2, 6-4.
The Spaniard said afterward it was her last singles match and that she was leaving happily.
“I lost, but this year for me was a gift, you know,” she said. “Last year on these dates, I don’t know if I can be here one more time or not, and I’m here.”
She revealed her diagnosis in September 2020 and said she would undergo six months of chemotherapy. She returned from her treatment in time for the French Open, where she lost in the first round.
She lost again in the first round at Wimbledon before winning a round at the Olympics.
Once ranked as high as No. 6, Suárez Navarro said she would consider playing if asked to compete for Spain in the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November.
“I’m happy with the person and the player I have been during all these years,” she said.