US Open Second Service: Fritz embarrassed for “thinking that I could win this thing” and Kyrgios conflicted about “one of the most uncomfortable matches I’ve played”
Looking back on the big news in our exclusive ‘US Open Second Service’… Taylor Fritz embarrassed by his performance stating “I feel like an idiot for thinking that I could win this thing” whilst all-Australian clash winner Kyrgios felt conflicted after “one of the most uncomfortable matches I’ve played”, plus more…
Firstly, the Indian Wells champion took on fellow American Brandon Holt, losing 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-4 on Grandstand.
After a run to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and solid showings in Montreal and Cincinnati, Fritz was of course bitterly disappointed to fall at the first hurdle in New York.
“It sucks, feels awful,” Fritz admitted in his post-match press conference. “I’ve been playing really well, had really high hopes. I feel like an idiot for thinking that I could win this thing, win the US Open.
In other news, Nick Kyrgios did not enjoy taking on his good friend Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round of the US Open and was happy to get the contest finished quickly.
“Probably one of the most uncomfortable matches I’ve played in my career,” Kyrgios explained to begin his post-match press conference. “I feel like we both had a game plan. We know our games so well. From the get-go, I was trying to block out his body and just play the tennis ball. I was really trying not to look at him at all. I felt like that kind of helped me.”
Read more about the Kyrgios match here
The main attraction of the evening was Serena Williams extending her career with a US Open win in round one over Danka Kovinic.
The 23-time major winner will retire from tennis after the tournament following a stunning career, and she rolled back the years to make a winning start.
Williams did look nervy at times, and ‘was given a stern test by Kovinic, but once she found her serving rhythm she was able to ease to a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 win.
“First of all thanks, I didn’t expect any of this,” Serena Williams said on court after the US Open afforded her an emotional tribute. “I always have to do the best that I can. I have always felt so comfortable here.
Read more about Williams advancing here.
Former US Open champion Stan Wawrinka cooled talk of retirement after another early exit.
Wawrinka is on the comeback trail again after a year out with an injury, and his recent injury curse struck again as he had to retire from his US Open first-round match against Corentin Moutet.
“Yeah, of course if I talk about myself, I’m getting closer to the end,” Wawrinka said. “That’s for sure.”
Even with the admission, Wawrinka is not there yet: “But I see that I’m playing and feeling better. Even if I’m not winning yet, I know I will be back winning matches soon. That’s for sure.”
Read all of Wawrinka’s comments here
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