Halep, Osaka advance to third round at U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Play began on the outdoor courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center but was suspended by rain at about 1 p.m. Eastern time.
Under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium, No. 12 Simona Halep easily got past Kristina Kucova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the third round for the first time since she reached the quarterfinals in 2016. Halep said she was “a little bit lucky today” that her match was moved from an outdoor court to Ashe as the result of Olga Danilovic’s withdrawal from a scheduled second-round match against No. 3 seed Naomi Osaka. Danilovic said via Instagram that she had been battling a non-COVID-19-related viral illness.
Halep missed Wimbledon and the French Open this year because of a calf muscle tear and she said she wasn’t sure how she would fare here. Two matches in, she’s happy with how she has done. “I’m more confident,” she said. “I think I did well the first two matches.”
Garbine Muguruza of Spain, seeded No. 9, defeated friend and frequent practice partner Andrea Petkovic of Germany 64, 6-2 under the roof at Louis Armstrong Stadium. She said playing with the roof closed meant “less wind, probably less light,” but she had no trouble with the conditions.
Defending U.S. Open women’s champion Osaka advanced to the third round via a walkover when Danilovic withdrew.
Tournament organizers then moved the match between Halep and Kucova from an outside court to Arthur Ashe Stadium for a noon Eastern time start. Ashe Stadium has a roof, as does Louis Armstrong Stadium. The roof was closed on each stadium following morning rain showers that delayed play on the outdoor courts.
Forecasts called for rain throughout the day as the second round of singles competition and first round of doubles play began.
According to the U.S. Tennis Association, 13 American men advanced to the second round of the Open, the most since 15 did so in 1994. Many have California connections.
They are Zach Svadja, 18, of San Diego; Jenson Brooksby, 20, of Sacramento, Calif.; Brandon Nakashima, 20, of San Diego; Taylor Fritz, 23, of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; Frances Tiafoe, 23; Reilly Opelka, 24; Maxime Cressy, 24, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., and UCLA; Ernesto Escobedo, 25, of Los Angeles; Mackenzie McDonald, 26, of Piedmont, Calif., and UCLA; Jack Sock, 28; Marcos Giron, 28, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and UCLA; Denis Kudla, 29, and Steve Johnson, 31, who both played at USC.