Tennis: Djokovic, Gauff and Sabalenka sail into US Open second round
Al Jazeera
Holder Djokovic begins his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title with a thrashing of Radu Albot in a late-night game.
Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff enjoyed comfortable wins in the first round of the US Open, while Dominic Thiem bid a final farewell to the Grand Slam where he enjoyed his greatest triumph.
Djokovic, looking to become the first player to capture 25 Grand Slam titles, capped the evening session under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory over Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot on Monday night.
Three weeks after winning the singles title at the Paris Games, Djokovic toted his rackets and gear in a pair of gold-coloured bags onto the court where the crowd gave him a hero’s welcome.
But the Serb’s golden touch was decidedly lacking in the late-night match as he struggled with serve and racked up nearly twice as many unforced errors as winners.
For all that, he had more than enough weapons to handle Moldovan Albot in their first tour clash and claim a record 78th win at Arthur Ashe under a closed roof.
