Alcaraz, Medvedev ease into US Open second round

NEW YORK: Carlos Alcaraz launched the defense of his US Open crown with a brisk victory after his opponent suffered an injury on Tuesday as third seed Daniil Medvedev strolled into the second round with a quick-fire win.

Alcaraz, returning to the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where he lifted his first Grand Slam as a teenager a year ago, was always in control after Germany’s Dominik Koepfer rolled his left ankle badly in the opening game.

Koepfer tried to continue despite being in obvious discomfort, but finally called it quits while trailing 3-2 in the second set after dropping the first 6-2.

“That’s not the best way to get through into another round,” said world No.1 Alcaraz. “But I have to say on my side I was playing great.”

Alcaraz, who faces Lloyd Harris of South Africa in the second round, is on course to face 2021 US Open champion Medvedev in the semifinals.

Medvedev opened his account on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Hungary’s Attila Balazs in just 74 minutes.

The Russian will face Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in the second round on Thursday for a spot in the last 32.

“That’s probably the fastest three-set match I played,” Medvedev said after his blistering demolition of Balazs.

While Alcaraz and Medvedev cruised into the second round, Karen Khachanov — a semifinalist at last year’s US Open — — was on the wrong end of a first-round upset.

The 11th-seeded Russian was bounced out in straight sets by American world No.89 Michael Mmoh, losing 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

Germany’s 12th seed Alexander Zverev, a beaten finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2020, never looked in danger of following Khachanov out of the tournament, registering a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.

Jannik