US Open: China’s Wang Yafan causes upset, VAR farce for Andy Murray, easy for Carlos Alcaraz, worst loss for Venus Williams
- Wang downs No 7 seed Caroline Garcia, a semi-finalist last year, while Alcaraz is through after Dominik Koepfer is forced to retire in their opening-round clash
- Murray’s opponent Corentin Moutet requests a video review, but officials try in vain to use the new system before abandoning it
Carlos Alcaraz may have surrendered the world No 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic but he got his US Open title defence off to an easy start as injured German Dominik Koepfer retired against the 20-year-old top seed.
Bidding to become the first man to retain his crown since Roger Federer won five straight from 2004 to 2008, Alcaraz will still have the No 1 attached to his name at Flushing Meadows, and reached the second round after Koepfer twisted an ankle early on before retiring with the Spaniard up 6-2, 3-2.
“I’m not thinking about defending the title. I was not thinking about I was the champion last year,” Alcaraz said. “I just focus on play my best level, to recover the level that I played last year, try to do same things that I did last year.”
Daniil Medvedev had been left in the shade by the top two but the third-seeded Russian made a strong start as he chases a second US Open crown in three years, dispatching Hungarian Attila Balazs 6-1, 6-1, 6-0.
China’s contingent, too, have made a promising start to the fortnight – not least Wang Yafan, who upset France’s seventh seed Caroline Garcia, a semi-finalist last year, 6-4, 6-1.
Her compatriot Zheng Qinwen beat Nadia Podoroska 6-1, 6-0, while in the men’s draw Wu Yibing outlasted Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
