The US Open is the first “Corona Grand Slam”.
Can Alexander Zverev have a say about the title?
He is now in the third round.
The tournament in the live ticker.
The
US Open is
running under difficult circumstances - the tennis world is not only in turmoil because of the corona pandemic *.
Alexander Zverev
won his opening match against Kevin Anderson.
On Wednesday
four Germans were
in action - two of them even play against each other.
The live ticker.
+++ Update ticker +++
10:24 p.m.: Alexander Zverev
and
Jan-Lennard Struff can
cheer.
The German men's duo marched into the third round almost simultaneously.
While Struff had no problems at 6: 2, 6: 2, 7: 5 against American Michael Mmoh and could now meet world number one
Novak Djokovic
from Serbia, Zverev had two and a half sentences hard against 19-year-old American Brandon Nakashima to fight.
In the end, the German number one prevailed with 7: 5, 6: 7 (8:10), 6: 3, 6: 1.
"It wasn't as good as in the first game, but in the end I won, that counts,"
said Zverev.
Zverev had new shoes brought to the court at the beginning of the third set - after that it went much better.
+
Alexander Zverev at the US Open.
© Seth Wenig / AP / picture alliance
On Friday he will meet either Adrian Mannarino from France or the American Jack Sock.
Above all, Zverev will have to improve if he really wants to play a role in the hot phase of the tournament.
Especially the second serve let him down again against the bold
Nakashima
.
"I'll have to work on that in the next few days," admitted Zverev.
Tennis expert
Boris Becker
raged after the second set, which
Zverev had
to give up after a crazy tie break, at Eurosport about the points quota after his second serve.
That was now eleven percent.
“This is district class,” said
Becker
.
Angelique Kerber
is the last remaining German in the women's tournament.
Tatjana Maria, Laura Siegemund and Tamara Korpatsch were eliminated in the first round.
For Kerber, the fight for the round of 16 against the winner of the US duel between Ann Li and the number 13 seeded Alison Riske.
HERE COME THE SHOES!
😂
You good, @AlexZverev?
👟 pic.twitter.com/adfW5R79xE
- US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2020
US Open: Zverev and Struff win almost at the same time and are in round three
10:08 pm:
What's going on here?
Zverev handles Nakashima in the fourth set 6: 1
, which hardly anyone could have expected after the tight sentences earlier.
But the German tennis fans can look forward to two hours 55 minutes of match time: Zverev is in the third round!
The final result:
7: 5 6: 7 (8:10) 6: 3 6: 1.
9:59 p.m.: Zverev stays tuned.
The German tennis star leads 3: 1 in the fourth set.
Struff
recovered quickly after a short period of weakness and won the third set.
So he wins against Mmoh with 6: 2 6: 2 7: 5.
9.40 p.m.: That was quick! Zverev gets the third set 6: 3.
Now the German number one is ahead with 2: 1 in sets.
And struff?
Suddenly it drops.
In the third set he is 4: 5 behind.
9.20 p.m.: Zverev manages a break!
The German leads 3: 1 in the third set.
Struff is currently 2: 2 in his possible winning rate.
9:04 p.m.:
Is that bitter!
Zverev
loses the tiebreak with 8:10, and that
with a double fault on his own serve.
So now it's 1: 1 according to sentences.
Things are much smoother with
Struff
: He also wins set number two with 6: 2 and only needs one set to win the match.
8:53 p.m.:
It happens as it had to:
tiebreak between Zverev and Nakashima.
Meanwhile, Struff leads again 3: 1 in the second set.
8:37 p.m.:
Zverev and Nakashima don’t give each other anything else: The second set is now 4: 4.
At Struff, things are going better from the perspective of German tennis: The number 29 in the world wins his first set against the underdog Mmoh relatively smoothly 6: 2.
8:26 p.m.:
At
Zverev
it is 2-2.
In the meantime,
Jan-Lennard Struff's
match has also
started: He is currently leading 3-1 against the American Michael Mmoh, the 186th in the world.
8:17 p.m.:
The second set begins with two successful service games by Zverev and Nakashima - the score is 1: 1.
Meanwhile there is also a reaction from Anna-Lena Friedsam to the German duel: “I think it was a match at a high level with many long rallies.
Angie gave me almost no free points, she did really well, ”said Friedsam, praising the German number one.
. @ AlexZverev holds off Nakashima and takes the first set 7-5 😤 pic.twitter.com/rOI2rWgKmZ
- US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2020
US Open: Zverev takes first set against Nakashima - incredible scenes with Gracheva
8:05 p.m.:
The break makes the difference.
Zverev
grabs the first sentence: it
ends 7: 5 for the German.
8:01 p.m.: Zverev breakt!
It is now 6: 5 for the native of Hamburg on his own serve.
On another court, however, there was an all-time comeback: With a score of 1: 6 and 1: 5 and four match points for the opponent, Varvara Gracheva scored a 1: 6 7: 6 6: 0.
Incomprehensible!
Alles.
Time.
Comeback.
Alles.
Time.
Comeback.
Down 6-1, 5-1, and four match points, 20-year-old 🇷🇺 Varvara Gracheva rallies to stun Mladenovic 🤯 pic.twitter.com/qO9ZLdC33e
- US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2020
7:53 p.m.:
It remains tight!
Zverev gets the 5: 5.
Nakashima is still without a break chance.
Nevertheless, one would have expected that the German would do better against the 19-year-old.
7.43 p.m.:
The two opponents continue to give no service games.
4: 3 for Nakashima it is now Zverev's turn - but he gets a fast game including a seventh ace (Nakashima: 2).
So 4: 4.
US Open: Zverev missed break against Nakashima
7:34 p.m.: Missed break
!
Zverev
takes
Nakashima
almost the first game, but in the end the American gets the point.
So now 3: 2 for Nakashima.
7:21 p.m.:
Nakashima takes a
2-1 lead
with forehand
.
Now it's up to Zverev to catch up again.
7.19 p.m.:
Both start with successful service games.
First Nakashima, who doesn't drop a single ball, and then Zverev - it's 1: 1.
7:06 p.m.:
Zverev and his opponent Brandon Nakashima, a 19-year-old American who is placed 223 in the world rankings, arrive at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
7.15 p.m.:
Now there are the first reactions and more precise impressions of Kerber's victory over Friedsam.
"I have to say, I'm very satisfied, very happy that I'm in the third round,"
said Kerber at Eurosport: "I wouldn't have thought that a few weeks ago."
The conditions with high humidity and the roof closed were extreme: "I don't know how many liters I've sweated out."
As with her opening win against Australian Alja Tomljanovic,
Kerber
ultimately
kept
her opponent at a distance and scored points in her 50th Grand Slam tournament, above all with her routine and experience.
Friedsam, who had survived the first round at the US Open for the first time, showed too much nerve and allowed herself to be cornered by Kerber in an often promising position.
Already when we marched into the huge round of the Louis Armstrong Stadium, the distribution of roles seemed clear.
Almost
shyly
, the 26-year-old Friedsam, who is only playing her 13th Grand Slam tournament in New York, looked up again and again, as if she had a lot of respect for the task and the environment.
Accordingly, she started the match nervously, after eleven minutes Kerber was leading 3-0.
😘 @AngeliqueKerber pic.twitter.com/9ma1gm0r2S
- US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2020
Kerber versus Friedsam: outsider cannot use three breakballs
However, by then Friedsam had already had
remarkable chances on the racket
.
After losing service to 2-0, she led in the third game by 40:15, but couldn't use a total of three breakballs against the cleverly acting Kerber.
She succeeded in the fifth game when she patiently hit her forehand on Kerber's backhand and fought for the break to make it 2: 3.
A long drawn-out "Maaaaannnn" by
Friedsam
revealed the displeasure of the 26-year-old a little later.
She led 40: 0 on her own serve, but ultimately had to acknowledge the second break to 2: 4 instead of the 3: 3 equalization.
Kerber played cleverly and with great clarity, she forced Friedsam to make mistakes, kept her in motion and made the decisive points with outstanding strokes.
After 35 minutes, the German number one converted their first set ball to 6: 3 against number six.
After the first round, Friedsam left
the place
for a
toilet
break, possibly to come down a bit and to rearrange himself.
Kerber was not impressed by this, she sat quietly on her bench and waited calmly and conscious of her own strength for her opponent.
In the first game of the second set they led 40-0 on their own serve - and then conceded the break to 0-1.
Friedsam stayed cool and, thanks to some Kerber mistakes, returned the favor with the immediate rebreak to 1: 1.
Over 2: 1, 3: 2, 4: 3, 5: 4 and 6: 5, Friedsam had the upper hand in the second movement, with her well-known "Come on now" Kerber urged herself to concentrate.
At 6: 6 it went into the tiebreak, Kerber's coach Torben Beltz rose from his seat for the first time, Kerber prepared with stretching exercises for the decision, which she ultimately forced after 1:40 hours with her second match point.
US Open: Angelique Kerber wins German duel against Anna-Lena Friedsam
6.50 p.m.: Kerber wins!
The Favortin moves
into the third round
with a
6: 3, 7: 6 (8: 6)
.
Zverev's match was postponed to 7 p.m., Struff starts at 8:20 p.m.
6.43 p.m.:
Between Kerber and Friedsam it's 6: 6 in the second set!
Tie break between the two Germans.
6:36 p.m.:
Kerber peaceably demands everything in the second sentence - now it's 6: 5 for the outsider.
6:23 p.m.:
No breaks -
Kerber and Friedsam
rock themselves up, it is now 4: 4.
By the
way,
Zverev's
match starts at 6.40 p.m.
6:05 p.m.:
The second movement has been quite balanced so far.
First they both break, then they get their service games.
Kerber has just won her 2-2.
US Open: German duel in Flushing Meadows - Kerber wins first set against Friedsam
5:51 p.m.:
Kerber wins the first set 6: 3.
5.40 p.m.:
After exactly 30 minutes of playing time, Kerber now leads 5: 2.
In the meantime Friedsam came up to 3: 2.
17:28:
Favorite Kerber leads 3-1 in the first set.
Update from September 2, 5:01 p.m.:
The match between
Angelique Kerber,
who was set to 17,
and
Anna-Lena Friedsam
begins.
Update from September 2, 9:30 a.m.:
Philipp Kohlschreiber was
eliminated in the first round of the US Open.
He
lost
his match against
Vasek Pospisil
in three sets (6: 7, 5: 7, 6: 7).
It was tight in every sentence - the Canadian got the upper hand twice in the tie-break.
Now with
Alexander Zverev
and
Jan-Lennard Struff there are
only two German players left in the tournament.
Zverev meets the American Nakashima early on Wednesday evening.
Struff also has to deal with a player from the USA - his opponent is Michael Mmoh.
Both are favorites to move into the third round.
For the women there is a German duel in the evening:
Angelique Kerber
meets
Anna-Lena Friedsam
.
US Open in the live ticker: Kohlschreiber draws the short straw against Pospisil
Update from September 1, 11:05 p.m.:
Pospisil gets the first sentence.
If both players remain at this high level, a long match could be ahead.
Update from September 1, 11:04 p.m.:
3 set balls for Pospisil.
Now things are getting tight for Kohlschreiber.
Update from September 1st, 11 p.m.:
Pospisil gets the mini-break to 2-1 in the tiebreak after a long rally.
Update from September 1, 10:58 p.m .:
Both players bring their serve through, the tiebreaker must bring the decision in the first set.
Update from September 1st, 10:52 p.m .:
Philipp Kohlschreiber
and the Canadian
Vasek Pospisil
deliver a close match in the first set.
When the score was 4: 5, "Kohli" fended off a set ball against himself with a strong backhand on the line.
The German then played his service game and equaled to 5: 5.
Who will get the first sentence?
US Open in the live ticker: Siegemund has no chance against Mertens
Update from September 1, 7:36 p.m.:
Laura Siegemund loses to Elise Mertens 2: 6, 2: 6 and is eliminated in the first round of the US Open.
The German tried everything, but had to give in to the Belgian after just under an hour and a half.
Siegemund was not there at the crucial moments and awarded a total of nine breakballs.
Update from September 1, 6.45 p.m.:
Laura Siegemund
was
only
able to start her duel with
Elise Mertens
an hour late.
The
weather
in
New York
was too inconsistent, it had rained too hard.
The 32-year-old German came into the game well against the 24-year-old Belgian.
When the score was 2: 3, Siegemund missed three breakballs to equalize and had to give up the first set with 2: 6 against the favorite.
Mertens also served very well.
First report from September 1st:
New York - The tennis scene is currently not in an easy situation.
This is not only due to Corona - the
player representation
newly founded
by
Novak Djokovic also
divides the circus like rarely before.
The
US Open has
therefore not been under a good star from the start.
No
Roger Federer
, no
Rafael Nadal
- but the women also had to cancel one of the largest tennis tournaments in the world *.
US Open in the live ticker: Does Alexander Zverev benefit from the stars' cancellations?
The game will be played anyway - and due to the lack of superstars,
Alexander
, known as "
Sascha
"
Zverev,
has from a German perspective
great chances of going far.
On Monday, the man from Hamburg won his opening match in four sets.
The opponent was anything but a walk in the park - with the South African
Kevin Anderson
, Zverev defeated a former world number five and US Open finalist from 2017.
At the
Australian Open
at the beginning of the year, Zverev was among the last four for the first time in his career.
US Open in the live ticker: Philipp Kohlschreiber and Laura Siegemund start the tournament
Also
Angelique Kerber
won her first match against Ajla Tomljanovic and strikes in the second round in the German duel on
Anna-Lena Friedsam
.
Jan-Lennard Struff
also made it into the second round.
On Tuesday, experienced
Philipp Kohlschreiber
and
Laura Siegemund
will start
the tournament.
The Augsburg resident challenges the Canadian Vasek Pospisil, Siegemund faces the Belgian Elise Mertens.
The tournament will be broadcast on free TV *.
Check out this post on Instagram
Back in competition mode 🗽🎾 @usopen #TeamAngie
A post shared by Angelique Kerber (@ angie.kerber) on Aug 31, 2020 at 1:29 PM PDT
US Open in the live ticker: Naomi Osaka protests with a mask against racism
World number four,
Naomi Osaka
, made headlines
.
At the Masters semifinals in New York, she
did not take part in
protest
against
racism
and
police violence
. Now, before her opening match, she wore a special
mask
* that had the name of a black woman who was recently shot by police officers.
Osaka still has something else to do: “It's sad that so many are needed, but: I have seven masks with seven names with me.
I hope to get to the final so you can all see them, ”said the 22-year-old.
. @ naomiosaka walked out in a Breonna Taylor mask for her night match at Arthur Ashe stadium. # USOpen pic.twitter.com/Ubxwst54kl
- US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2020
US Open in the live ticker: First corona case - heavy criticism of the organizer
There was also unrest after the positive Covid test * by Frenchman
Benoit Paire
, who was immediately excluded from the tournament after the diagnosis.
Doubles player
Noah
Rubin
strongly criticized the security concept of the organizers - the bubble in which the players are supposed to stay is permeable.
The excluded couple caused a sensation with half a threat (“I'm still hesitating whether to tell what really happens in this 'fake bubble'”).
(epp)
* tz.de is part of the Ippen editorial network.