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September 2, 2020

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Latvian bursts Gauff’s Slam bubble in NY

Source: Agencies | 00:05 UTC+8 September 2, 2020 | Print Edition

A US Open expected to produce surprises in the unnerving calm of a fanless Flushing Meadows delivered on day one as American teen sensation Coco Gauff was eliminated from the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Gauff, whose run to the third round ignited last year’s tournament, bowed out 3-6, 7-5, 4-6 to Anastasija Sevastova at an empty Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York on Monday.

Having reached the fourth round at the Australian Open in January and Wimbledon in her Grand Slam main draw debut last year, 16-year-old Gauff had never felt the pain of an early exit from the majors.

Adding weight to the disappointment was the long break between Grand Slams, with the COVID-19 pandemic having cancelled Wimbledon and postponed Roland Garros.

“I could have played better today,” Gauff told reporters.

“I just got on Tour a little over a year ago, so I still have a lot to learn and a long ways to go.”

The young American was far from her best against former semifinalist Sevastova, who came into the match on a run of seven consecutive first-round defeats.

Gauff struck 13 double-faults and surrendered the error-strewn contest with a service break against 30-year-old Sevastova, the 31st seed in a women’s draw lacking about a quarter of the Tour’s top 100 players.

The lack of fans was no issue for Gauff, who had said she would compete “just as hard” with or without them.

However, the long break from competition may not have helped, said Gauff, who lost her first match at the Western and Southern Open to Greek Maria Sakkari in the leadup.

“The main part that hurt was just (not) getting matches under my belt, getting experience,” added Gauff.

“That’s what I need on Tour. I’m playing against people older than me who have been in more situations, difficult situations, than I have.

“I think the biggest thing is I just need experience.”

Among the noticeable virus-induced changes on Monday: There are full complements of line judges only at two courts; the rest are relying on a chair umpire and electronic calls. Everyone is supposed to wear masks unless they’re playing. Players have to walk to get their own towels instead of having them handed over by ball people.

And, of course, no raucous roars or belittling boos.

“Normally, the first day of the US Open, there’s usually just like a buzz around the grounds. Today it was just quiet. That was weirdest thing for me,” said Mitchell Krueger, an American who beat Pedro Sousa, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. “When I was warming up at 10am, that would have been the time the gates would have been opening in a normal year and people (would) start rushing to the courts and getting good seats for the matches.”

There were about 15 people in the seats at 14,000-capacity Louis Armstrong Stadium for the start of Angelique Kerber’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ajla Tomljanovic.

When Kerber broke to take the first game, one person — her coach — clapped. “It’s kind of a little bit the feeling when you play, like, practice matches,” she said.

There were seven people in Court 11’s bleachers — six after one left in the middle of the seventh game — for No. 27 Borna Coric’s 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win over Pablo Andujar, whose complaint to chair umpire Fergus Murphy about serve-clock management was easily audible.

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