U.S. Open 2011 Day Two Recap

August 31, 2011 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Rafael_Nadal_02
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Rafael Nadal from Spain saved seven set points in the second set and battled back from two breaks down in the third to beat Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan, 6-3, 7-6, 7-5 on Tuesday under the lights in the first round action at the 2011 U.S. Open. Golubev did have Nadal a little nervous at times, breaking the Spaniard six times during the match, but Nadal pulled through with the win. Awaiting Nadal is Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, a 3-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 winner over Colombian Robert Farah.

"My serve helped me win the tournament last year, but I won because I was playing fantastic from the baseline," said Nadal. "Today, I lost my serve six times. In my opinion, was not a fault of my serve, it was a fault that Golubev was returning very fast all the time."

Also on the men’s side, top-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia upped his record to 58-2 on the year with a win over qualifier Conor Niland of Ireland. Niland was forced to retire just 44 min. into the match due to food poisoning with Djokovic leading 6-0, 5-1. Djokovic moves on to face Argentinian Carlos Berlocq who defeated Pere Riba from Spain, 7-5, 6-0, 6-1. Djokovic’s first round match was the first test the sore right shoulder that forced him to retire in the finals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati against Andy Murray.

"This year has been tremendous, the best so far in my career, and there has been a lot of talk about history-making and this incredible run," said Djokovic. "No doubt I’m extremely honored and privileged to be part of the elite of players who have made history in the sport. My main focus is really on the court. I need to take it one match at a time."

Also playing under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium was American Serena Williams, the number 28 seed, as she was a 6-1, 6-1 winner over 54th-ranked Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia. Serena, who missed nearly a year of action due to lingering injuries, is seeking her 14th Grand Slam title and fourth U.S. Open title.

"I was just ready to play. I hadn’t played the girl before [Jovanovski], so I was just thinking to get ready for this match as you never know how people are going to come out," said Serena. "I always have the jitters before I play … I just got to play through it. I was just thinking, I’m just trying to hold the little record I have of first rounds. Eventually, things are meant to be broken, but hopefully, it won’t happen soon."

In-between the two night session matches, Frenie Acoba, a nine-year-old from Kings Park, N.Y. performed beautifully at her second U.S. Open. She has been singing since the age of five, and won a national singing contest that took place at the Apollo Theater to earn the honor. Prior to her performance, Long Island Tennis Magazine spoke with Frenie and asked if she was nervous? She replied, "Not really, I was last year, but now that I have done it before, I am just excited."

Click here for full results from Day Two action of the 2011 U.S. Open.

Credit all photos to Kenneth B. Goldberg

 

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg 

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France was a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 winner on Day Two over Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu

 

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg 

American Donald Young was victorious over Slovakian Lukas Lacko, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

 

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Francesca Schiavone from Italy defeated Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4

 

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg 

Serena Williams under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium

 

Nine-year-old Frenie Acoba sand during the nightcap under the lights at her second U.S. Open

 

American James Blake, a 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Jesse Huta Galung from the Netherlands

 

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg 

The number five seed David Ferrer from Spain was a winner on Day Two of the 2011 U.S. Open, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 over Russian Igor Andreev

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
USTA NTC

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