Sports
DANIIL Medvedev got his U.S. Open title defence off to a smooth start with a straight-sets victory over unseeded American Stefan Kozlov.
The Russian faced a determined fight from the 24-year-old at times, but comfortably won 6-2 6-4 6-0 in just over two hours, hitting 36 winners in the process.
Medvedev, who is bidding to become the first male player to successfully defend the U.S. Open title since Roger Federer in 2008, will face France’s Arthur Rinderknech in the second round.
Kozlov quickly showed his spirit by immediately breaking back after losing a game on his own serve early in the opening set.
But Medvedev’s quality shone through as he racked up three consecutive breaks to take the opening set.
The American continued to ask questions of the world number one in the second, breaking back to make it 4-4, but Medvedev responded by winning the next eight games in a row in an emphatic finish.
“It was not easy conditions, hot and humid – I was sweating a lot. I had to be solid, that was the key today, and I’m happy to be in the second round,” Medvedev said.
“I remember in juniors it was impossible to beat him.
“He destroyed me. I was happy to get my revenge today. I have an unusual game so, I just tried to be solid and find the right shots at the right time.”
Medvedev came to New York after a period of mixed form, and he’s yet to win a Grand Slam title this year after finishing as runner-up in Australia.
He lost in the fourth round at Roland-Garros and was unable to compete at Wimbledon due to the ban on Russian players.
He made a strong start on Arthur Ashe, in spite spirited resistance from Kozlov, who was making his main draw debut at the U.S. Open.
Medvedev took an early break in the third game, but Kozlov immediately responded by setting up break points and taking the first with an excellent passing shot.
The Russian took advantage of Kozlov’s weakness on serve – he finished with 48 per cent points won on first serve and 28 per cent on second serve – to take the next four games in a row.
The American asked some difficult questions in the second set, Medvedev earned a break at 4-3, but Kozlov wouldn’t back down and responded by taking his break point opportunity in the following game.
Medvedev showed his champion quality in response, winning every point in the following two games, before taking every game in a one-sided third set. (Reuters/NAN)
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Tags: Arthur Ashe Arthur Rinderknech Daniil Medvedev Roland-Garros Stefan Kozlov
