US Open – Day 1 (1R)

Viktor Troicki [15] becomes a real specialist of losing tight matches. The unorthodox Serb (in terms of tennis style) again lost a match squandering three match points – it happened to him for the fourth time in career. On Grandstand, Troicki held three match points leading 5:4* in the 4th set against Alejandro Falla [119], the Colombian was serving to hang on in the match in the 5th set as well, and prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in a 3-and-half-hour battle. Falla had lost four straight 5-setters prior to this win. Troicki has an awful “tight” record considering his ‘match point’ (1-8) and two ‘points away’ (2-3) encounters. Also Thomaz Bellucci suffered a bitter 5-set loss – he was leading comfortably against Dudi Sela with two sets and 3:1* in the 3rd set, but won just 4 out of the next 17 games!
None of the four Top 10 players who appeared on Monday dropped a set. Mardy Fish confirmed his great form outplaying on Arthur Ashe Stadum, Tobias Kamke [92] 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Fish was so relaxed that won one of points playing a combination of a hot-dog shot and backhand, running it two different directions between the strokes. Fish said: “It’s an honour to be able to start the tournament off on that court. It’s just an amazing court. I was surprised when they canceled that first match, so my match was right on at 1:00. Tennis players love knowing exactly when they play.” In the night session on the same court, 5-time champion of the tournament Roger Federer easily beat Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, albeit weird things occurred in the 1st set in which the Swiss wasted a double set point on serve at 5:1 and a few minutes later the Colombian was serving to level at five games apiece! Federer has tied Andre Agassi‘s 224 singles wins at tennis majors; nine behind Jimmy Connors… 24 matches were played on Monday.

Longest match:
4 hours, 24 minutes. Philipp Petzschner d. Albert Ramos 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3

Most aces:
23 – Ivo Karlovic, defeated Fernando Gonzalez in three sets

5-set barometer:
22-17 Juan Carlos Ferrero
8-6 Victor Hanescu
7-6 Philipp Petzschner
5-6 Viktor Troicki
4-7 Michael Llodra
3-4 Alejandro Falla
1-1 Albert Ramos
0-3 Pablo Andujar

# Troicki’s m.p. and 2-pts-away defeats:

2008, Chennai: M.Cilic 6-3, 6-7(6), 1-6
2008, Moscow: M.Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 5-7  –   2 m.p.
2009, Barcelona: M.Youzhny 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 3-6
2009, Umag: M.Gonzalez 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6)  –  3 m.p.
2009, Basel: M.Cilic 6-7(7), 7-6(8), 6-7(6) – 3 m.p.
2010, Belgrade: S.Wawrinka 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-7(6) – 2 m.p.
2010, Wimbledon: J.Melzer 7-6(5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(6), 3-6  – 1 m.p.
2010, Tokyo: R.Nadal 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-7(7)  – 2 m.p.
2011, Roland Garros: A.Murray 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 5-7
2011, Montreal: G.Monfils 6-3, 6-7(0), 6-7(5) –  3 m.p.
2011, US Open: A.Falla 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 5-7, 5-7 – 3 m.p.