The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Emphatic win for Federer

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Wednesday, Aug 29, 2007
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Emphatic win for Federer

Venus, Serena move ahead in contrasting style

— Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

STRETCHED: Serena Williams had it tough against Angelique Kerber in her first round match on Monday.

NEW YORK: Top seeds Roger Federer and Justine Henin put on a dazzling show to kick off the U.S. Open, destroying their bewildered opponents in straight sets, even as Britain’s Andy Murray made a triumphant Grand Slam return from a wrist injury on Monday.

Federer, bidding for his fourth successive Open title, blew away American Scoville Jenkins 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, while Henin ousted wide-eyed German Julia Goerges 6-0, 6-3 in 62 minutes.

There were no major upsets on the opening day of the year’s final Grand Slam, played on the hardcourts at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

Venus Williams fired a Grand Slam record-tying 129 mph serve en route to an easy 6-2, 6-1 victory over Hungarian qualifier Kira Nagy, while her sister Serena had a tougher time but prevailed over Angelique Kerber of Germany, 6-3, 7-5.

Consistent

Top-ranked Federer landed just 60 per cent of his first serves and had only a 25-24 edge in winners.

But the Swiss was remarkably consistent, committing only 12 unforced errors in the 92-minute match compared to 31 for Jenkins.

“I thought it was a good match, a tough match,” said Federer, who, despite his analysis, dominated from the opening point. “I didn’t allow my opponent many chances on my serve.”

Jenkins, a qualifier, said playing the 26-year-old Federer was “mentally frustrating”.

Henin, a six-time Grand Slam winner and 2003 Open champion, landed only 44 per cent of her first serves but she was never broken by her 18-year-old opponent.

The Belgian admitted “there wasn’t a lot of rhythm” in the match, mostly due to Goerges’s 32 unforced errors.

Henin, 25, continues to nurse a “scary” shoulder injury while trying to win the “most difficult” of the majors. “It’s not my favourite Grand Slam,” she admitted. “It’s so, so different. It takes a lot of energy.”

Murray, a Scotsman seeded 19th, had struggled since May with a wrist injury and missed Wimbledon and the French Open but began the Flushing Meadows fortnight by defeating Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-3, 6-0.

Ferrero out

Meanwhile in the men’s section, Spain’s 21st-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero was the first seed ousted, falling to compatriot Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

18th seed Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus also exited, losing to Max Mirnyi of Belarus 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(6).

U.S wild card John Isner, a finalist in his ATP hardcourt debut three weeks ago, fired 34 aces to oust Finnish 26th seed Jarkko Nieminen 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-4.

Isner could play Federer in the third round. — Agencies

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