US Open: Daniil Medvedev beats Richard Gasquet in first round
Daniil Medvedev
31-08-2021 03:20 PM
Ammon News - Second seed Daniil Medvedev eased to a straight-set victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet to reach the US Open second round.
The 25-year-old Russian needed only one hour 57 minutes to win 6-4 6-3 6-1.
World number two Medvedev has never won a Grand Slam, having lost the 2019 US Open final and this year's Australian Open final.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev beat 42-year-old Croat Ivo Karlovic, the oldest US Open qualifier in the Open era.
Russian Rublev, 19 years Karlovic's junior, won 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 to set up a meeting with Spain's Pedro Martinez.
Russian Marin Cilic, the 2014 champion, retired from a match for the first time in his 837-match career as Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber advanced. He will play Spaniard Pablo Andujar in the second round.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios won only seven games in a 6-3 6-4 6-0 defeat by Spanish 18th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
South African Kevin Anderson equalled his career best tally of aces by serving 49 against Czech Jiri Vesely to wrap up a 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) victory in four hours 22 minutes.
The 2017 runner-up will face Argentine 11th seed Diego Schwartzman in the second round.
Norwegian eighth seed Casper Ruud and Canadian 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime also progressed.
Serbia's top seed Novak Djokovic begins his bid to win a men's record 21st Grand Slam title against Danish qualifier Holger Rune on Tuesday, while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are absent through injury.
*BBC