Former tournament winner Angelique Kerber, who was one of the favorites for the title, just managed to avert a first-round loss at the US Open. The 33-year-old tennis player from Kiel fought on Monday at the Grand Slam tournament in New York Dajana Jastremska from Ukraine after losing the first set in 2:25 hours with 3: 6, 6: 4, 7: 6 (7: 3) down.
In 2016 Kerber won the title in Flushing Meadows, this year she is one of the favorites based on her latest results. The winner of three Grand Slam tournaments is now facing another Ukrainian in Anhelina Kalinina.
After the game, Kerber spoke of a “roller coaster ride”, in which she had the happier end in the end. Jastremska set the tone in large parts of the game and “just put them under so much pressure that I couldn’t play my game”. She finally fought for the victory point by point and with the spectators behind her. Now comes the second-round opponent Kalinina, the woman against whom Kerber was eliminated at the French Open: “In any case, I still have an account open,” said the German tournament hope.
Kerber’s Fed Cup colleague Andrea Petkovic and the German men ensured a perfect German start. The over-30 veterans Philipp Kohlschreiber and Peter Gojowczyk won matches over five sets against higher-rated opponents. Petkovic prevailed against Irina-Camelia Begu from Romania 6: 2, 7: 6 (7: 3).
“I think I played a very solid first set,” said Petkovic after the game. She had a good length in her strokes and felt safe. In the second sentence, she only briefly disrupted her opponent’s treatment for a break. The 33-year-old Darmstadt woman now has to deal with the ex-Wimbledon winner Garbiñe Muguruza from Spain.
Kohlschreiber and Gojowczyk also continued
Kohlschreiber won a duel between the old masters and the Croatian Marin Cilic. The 37-year-old Augsburg profited against the 32-year-old former tournament winner with a score of 6: 7 (4: 7), 6: 7 (3: 7), 6: 2, 6: 1, 2: 0 from the injury-related abandonment of his Counterparties. Cilic had won the US Open in 2014 and was seeded at number 30 that year. Kohlschreiber now meets Michail Kukuschkin from Kazakhstan or the Spaniard Pablo Andujar.
“Lucky for me, bad luck for him,” said Kohlschreiber, commenting on his progress, and also referred to the humid temperatures that apparently bothered his opponent. Nevertheless, the Augsburg resident, who lives in Kitzbühel, was satisfied with his appearance. “It was a deserved victory,” said Kohlschreiber. “Now I have to pull out the positive things and take them to the next round.”
Munich’s Gojowczyk also advanced with a five-set win. The 32-year-old defeated the 23 seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert 1: 6, 6: 1, 6: 2, 5: 7, 6: 4 and now meets the Serbian Dusan Lajovic.
Kerber also provided plenty of thrills. Before the start of the tournament, Boris Becker, among others, had traded her as one of the favorites for the title – which she rejected far from herself. Kerber played strong recently, won the title in Bad Homburg and reached the semifinals in Wimbledon and Cincinnati.
At first she had difficulties against the ruthless and aggressive Jastremska and could hardly find a remedy. “It takes a lot,” said Kerber later. But despite being behind in the third set, she fought her way back and finally decided the tiebreak with strong nerves. (dpa)
As an entertainment author with over 7 years of experience, I bring a diverse background to my writing. I have a proven track record in the journalism industry. My expertise extends beyond writing, as I have experience producing video content for websites and social media platforms, offering a well-rounded perspective on the entertainment world
