It would take a minor miracle, or perhaps a trip to the U.S. Open final to be more exact, but Grigor Dimitrov really hopes Stan Wawrinka is seeded at next year’s Australian Open.
With Wawrinka ranked much lower than usual due to a long injury layoff and therefore unseeded at slams, Dimitrov has now run into the Swiss in first rounds of back-to-back majors. It worked out equally bad on both occasions. After falling to Wawrinka right away at Wimbledon, the Bulgarian succumbed 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 on Monday afternoon in New York.
“We played already in Wimbledon, so it was a surprise again to play each other,” Wawrinka commented. “I’m really happy first with the victory, that’s for sure, but (also) with my level in general. I think I have been practicing well. I have been playing some good tournaments–Cincinnati, Toronto…and keep improving there day by day. I arrive here a week early to practice, get a lot of time on the court, and I’m happy with today’s match. I think it’s a great start.”
It was a good start for the Big 4–and Big 5 if you count the three-time major champion Wawrinka–in what is their first tournament all together since Wimbledon last summer. Joining Wawrinka in the U.S. Open second round on Monday were Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. Nadal got a second-set retirement from fellow Spaniard David Ferrer to abruptly end the night session in Arthur Ashe Stadium, while Murray battled past James Duckworth 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.
Murray-Duckworth was the first men’s singles match in the new Louis Armstrong Stadium, and a best-of-five struggle must have felt like something new to the Scot, as well. This is his first major since he exited the All-England Club in 2017, touching off his extensive hip problems. But Murray performed admirably given the circumstances while managing to outlast Duckworth in three hours and 18 minutes.
“I actually felt like I could have moved better,” the former world No. 1 admitted. “I struggled a little bit with that earlier in the match. I don’t know for what reason; it was extremely lively, conditions out there. It was a lot quicker for me, anyway, than what we have been practicing in since we got here. I felt a little bit slow at the beginning.
“And then the positive was that actually towards the end of the match, I made some quite good moves. Like the second to the last point of the match, I moved pretty quickly up to the drop-volley (before putting it away for a winner) and kind of maintained my serving speeds throughout the match, as well.
“So there was some good stuff, but I think I can get better.”
Reigning U.S. Open and Wimbledon runner-up Kevin Anderson will also have a chance to get better after surviving a scare from Ryan Harrison on Monday night. Anderson trailed by two sets to one before recovering for a 7-6(4), 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
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