NEW YORK, 1 September 2005 — Lleyton Hewitt launched his US Open campaign with a straight sets victory over Albert Costa here yesterday, hoping a return to the scene of his first major triumph can see the end of his Grand Slam drought.
The third-seeded Australian, who followed up his 2001 US Open title with a victory at Wimbledon the following year, hasn’t added a Grand Slam crown to his resume since.
He took his first step toward another with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Costa, shrugging off gusting winds on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court to beat the former French Open champion from Spain in 1hr 20min.
Hewitt and compatriot Mark Philippoussis were among the 16 men wrapping up first-round action yesterday, while in the night session second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal took on US wild card Scoville Jenkins for a third-round berth, having beaten wild card Bobby Reynolds in the first.
Nadal, the French Open champion whose nine titles this year match the mighty Federer’s tally, beefed up his hardcourt credentials heading into the Open with a victory over Andre Agassi in the final of the Montreal Masters Series tournament.
The women’s second round also got underway, with women’s top seed Maria Sharapova of Russia, fourth-seeded Belgian Kim Clijsters, eighth-seeded Australian Open champion Serena Williams and 10th-seeded Wimbledon champion Venus Williams all slated for action.
Clijsters, too, battled the winds to emerge with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia.
In a match of three distinct phases, Clijsters sped to a 4-0 lead, lost the next five straight games as she struggled to cope with the conditions, and then steadied the ship by winning the remaining nine.
The 22-year-old Clijsters former world No. 1 came into New York playing some of the best tennis in her life after recovering from wrist surgery and an injury to her right knee. She had won a career best six titles out of 12 tournaments played this season including three of the four hardcourt lead-up events to the US Open.
Sharapova, who grabbed the world No. 1 ranking for one week before the Open despite a chest muscle injury that limited her court time, was looking for a chance to play her way further into the tournament against Madagascar’s Dally Randriantefy.
Williams raises the curtain yesterday’s night session against Colombian Catalina Castano, who is in the second round of the US Open for the first time in three attempts.
On Tuesday night, Luxemborg’s Gilles Muller stunned former champion Andy Roddick here, sending the fourth-seeded American packing 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (10 8), 7-6 (7-1) in the first round of the championships. The left-hander fired 19 forehand winners and seven with his two-handed backhand, keeping Roddick uncharacteristically on the defensive.
Roddick’s biggest regret was not serving out the opening set after taking an early break and leading 5-3.
In the second-set tiebreaker, the American had the first set point, which Muller saved with an ace, Roddick responding in kind two points later. Roddick had one more set point at 8-7 in the breaker, but it was Muller who put it away with a backhand passing winner.
Muller, who defeated French Open champion Rafael Nadal in four sets in the second round at Wimbledon, said he benefitted from luck — including a ball hit to the line in the third-set tiebreaker off the frame of his racquet.
But he said the biggest key was composure.
American Lindsay Davenport, the only woman to reach two Grand Slam finals this year, opened her campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over China’s Li Na.
Davenport, sidelined for the better part of seven weeks after reaching the Wimbledon final by a bad back, needed four match points to subdue Li.
Women’s third seed Amelie Mauresmo advanced with less difficulty, defeating Italian Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-2.
French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, the seventh seed, routed Czech Zuzana Ondraskova 6-3, 6-0 in 58 minutes.
After missing much of 2004 and the early part of this year battling illness and injury, Henin-Hardenne is climbing back up the rankings and eyeing another Grand Slam title.
She took a long break after a first-round shock at Wimbledon, and said she was ready for the rigors of a Grand Slam challenge.
Sixth seeded Russian Elena Dementieva, also advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Czech Lucie Safarova.
In men’s action, 18-year-old qualifier Andrew Murray gutted out a 6-3, 3-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Romanian veteran Andrei Pavel to keep the British flag flying after the departure of Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.
Henman, the 12th seed, was clearly hindered by back pain in a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 loss to rising Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, while Rusedski, seeded 28th, was handed a 7-5, 7-6 (7 3), 6-3 victory by US wild card James Blake.
