Tsitsipas was the clear favourite for his US Open match against Daniel Elahi Galán. But things turned out differently. A Chinese player, on the other hand, made tennis history for his country.
Surprise at the US Open: Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas was eliminated from the tournament against Colombian Daniel Elahi Galán with 0:6, 1:6, 6:3, 5:7. He, ranked number five in the world men’s tennis rankings, thus lost to the number 94.
It was a different story for defending champion Daniil Medvedev. He advanced to the second round of the US Open. The 26-year-old Russian beat Stefan Kozlov of the United States 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 on Monday. “It wasn’t easy conditions, it’s very warm and the humidity is high,” Medvedev said after the match. “I tried to play really solid and I think I managed to do that. “
Medvedev and Nadel as title favourites
Medvedev, who was not allowed to compete at Wimbledon due to sanctions against Russia, is also among the title candidates this year alongside 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. Last year, the Moscow native celebrated his greatest success to date with a victory in the final against Novak Djokovic, who was absent this time.
Andy Murray also won in New York in 2012 and now, exactly ten years later, also scored a convincing opening victory. The 35-year-old Briton beat the 24th-seeded Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo 7-5, 6-3, 6-3. “I played well in the important moments,” Murray said with satisfaction.
In contrast, Dominic Thiem, who won the trophy in 2020, was eliminated. The 28-year-old Austrian, who has yet to return to his earlier form after a long injury layoff, lost to Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta 5-7, 1-6, 7-5, 3-6.
Wu makes Chinese tennis history
Qualifier Wu Yibing, on the other hand, has written Chinese tennis history. The 22-year-old became the first Chinese to win a match at the US Open in the professional era with his three-set victory over Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili (6-3, 6-4, 6-0) on Monday. It has also been 63 years since a male tennis player from the giant country last won a Grand Slam match (Mei Fu Chi at Wimbledon).
Wu had already triumphed in the US Open junior singles and doubles in 2017. His success against the No. 31 seed Basilashvili is nevertheless a surprise. Wu, who only broke into the top 200 of the world rankings in July, will meet the Portuguese Nuno Borges in the second round.
