US Open Day 2 - Heat Strikes

Day Two of the 2018 US Open (completing first round singles) was a sweltering affair for the players, and something for which insufficient guidelines had been put in place.

For the men, a ten minute break after three sets was invoked, but too little, too late to avoid the retirement of six players, at least five due to the excessive heat.

Disappointing to lose competitors in this manner, but the good news was for the seeds, who mostly survived the second day.

Leading the charge into the final 64 were the second seeds, Caroline Wozniacki and Roger Federer.

Wozniacki, in the day session opening match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, wasted little time in dispatching 2011 champion Samantha Stosur 6-2 6-2.

Federer, on the same court but in the night session, was just as ruthless in bidding Yoshihito Nishioka farewell 6_2 6-2 6-4.

Those seeds to fail their initial task were:

• Adrian Mannarino (29) defeated 6-1 6-4 4-6 6-4 by American Frances Tiafoe, ranked 44
• CoCo Vandeweghe (24) defeated 6-3 7-6(3) by Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, ranked 57
• Anett Kontaveit (28) defeated 6-7(3) 6-3 7-5 by the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova, ranked 54
• Marco Cecchinato (22) defeated 2-6 7-6(5) 6-3 6-4 by France’s Julien Benneteau, ranked 60
• Filip Krajinovic (32) defeated 7-6(1) 6-7(5) 4-6 6-1 4-1 (retired) by Australian Matthew Ebden, ranked 54

Notable winners, apart from Federer and Wozniacki, were:

• Sascha Zverev (4), who defeated lucky loser Peter Polansky 6-2 6-1 6-2
• Angie Kerber (4), who defeated Margarita Gasparyan 7-6(5) 6-3
• Petra Kvitová (5), who defeated Yanina Wickmayer 6-1 6-4
• Novak Djokovic (6), who defeated  Marton Fucsovics 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-0.  Djokovic trailed in the third set 2-4, but won the final ten games of the match.  Both players struggled with the conditions and appreciated the ten minutes break following the third set, but Fucsovics had nothing left.  Even the ice bath was insufficient to avoid the Novak late charge to victory.
• Caroline Garcia (6), who took Johanna Konta to the cleaners 6-2 6-2,leaving Great Britain with Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie as its only remaining singles representatives

• Marin Cilic (7), who defeated Marius Copil 7-5 6-1 1-1 (retired)
• David Goffin (10), who defeated qualifier Federico Gaio 
• Jelena Ostapenko (10), who defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-4 4-6 7-5
• Daria Kasatkina (11), who defeated Timea Babos 6-4 5-7 6-4
• Pablo Carreno Busta (12), who defeated Malek Jaziri 7-5 6-2 6-2
• Diego Schwartzman (13), who defeated Federico Delbonis 6-2 7-6(6) 6-2
• Kiki Bertens (13), who defeated Kristyna Pliskova 6-0 7-5
• Fabio Fognini (14), who defeated Michael Mmoh 4-6 6-2 6-4 7-6(4)
• Madison Keys (14), who defeated Pauline Parmentier 6-4 6-4
• Lucas Pouille (17), who defeated qualifier Yannick Maden 7-6(6) 6-2 7-5
• Naomi Osaka (20), who defeated Laura Siegemund 6-3 6-2

Wins by Frances Tiafoe and Alex de Minaur has them both rising six spots in the live rankings.

Leonardo Mayer lost through retirement, and dropped seven spots in the live rankings.

Wins by Kiki Mladenovic, Katerina Siniakova and Monica Puig gives them improvements of six, five and five respectively, in the live rankings.