Three move forward, three are halted. It's an even balance for the Italian tennis players who competed last night in the first round of the US Open. At Flushing Meadows, Musetti, Berrettini, and Bronzetti secured their spots in the next round, while Nardi and Darderi in the men's singles and Martina Trevisan in the women's draw were eliminated.
Meanwhile, tonight and tomorrow will see the debuts of Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 and top seed in the tournament, and Jasmine Paolini, ranked 5th. Also taking the court will be Cobolli, Fognini, Arnaldi, Bellucci, and Sonego among the men, with Cocciaretto and Errani competing in the women's draw. Djokovic kicked off his campaign with a victory over Moldovan Raul Albot.
Sinner, fresh from his Cincinnati win, will face American Mackenzie McDonald, whom he's defeated three times in his career. Here are the other matchups for the Italian men: Cobolli-Duckworth, Fognini-Machac, Arnaldi-Svajda, Bellucci-Wawrinka, Sonego-Paul. In the women’s draw, Cocciaretto will take on Baindl, and Errani will face Bucsa. Paolini will play later tonight against Canada's Andreescu.
Sinner makes history: first Italian to win the US Open
08 Sep - 23:01 •
2' min
In the meantime, winning debuts for Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Berrettini. Musetti, fresh from his bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and ranked 18th in the world, defeated American Reilly Opelka in four sets in the opening round of the American slam: the final score was 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-1, 7-5. Berrettini, on the other hand, advanced to the second round by defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The Roman player overcame the Spaniard in three sets: the first was closely contested, ending 7-6(2), with the subsequent sets being more straightforward (6-2, 6-3).
Luca Nardi exited in the first round but with his head held high, as he was defeated by Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut. The Italian fought hard from start to finish, pushing his opponent to a tiebreak in two of the three sets played, with the final scores being 5-7, 6-7(3), 6-7(5). Also out in the first round is Luciano Darderi, who was beaten by Argentina's Sebastian Baez, ranked 23rd in the world, with the South American winning 6-4, 6-7, 6-0, 7-6.
In the women's draw, Lucia Bronzetti progresses: her opponent, New Zealand's Lulu Sun, retired at the end of the first set (won by the Italian 6-3). However, Martina Trevisan was eliminated, defeated in two sets by American Taylor Townsend, with the scoreline reading 2-6, 5-7.
