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Published: Wednesday September 2, 2009 MYT 11:51:00 AM
Updated: Wednesday September 2, 2009 MYT 12:06:39 PM

Second seeded Murray, Sharapova win first-round at US Open

NEW YORK: Second-seeded Andy Murray has won his first-round match at the U.S. Open, a 7-5, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.

Murray, who lost to Roger Federer in last year's final, broke Gulbis at 5-5 in the third set Tuesday, then won his service game to seal the victory.

Seeking to become the first player from Britain to win a Grand Slam tournament since 1936, Murray will play Paul Capdeville of Chile in the second round later this week.

Taylor Dent defied doctors' predictions that he'd never play professional again by winning the opening match of his return to the U.S. Open after four years on the sidelines with a back injury.

Returning to the Flushing Meadows as a competitor for the first time since having his back repaired, the 28-year-old American beat Feliciano Lopez of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 7-5 on Tuesday to reach the second round.

Meanwhile After missing last year's U.S. Open with a shoulder injury, former champion Maria Sharapova returned to the spotlight with an impressive 6-3, 6-0 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria on Tuesday.

Sharapova's game was as glittery as her black-and-silver dress and matching headwrap, an outfit she described as a tribute to New York's skyline.

Several hours after Russian compatriot Dinara Safina came perilously close to becoming the first No. 1-seeded woman to lose in this major tournament's first round, 2006 champion Sharapova gave a much stronger performance.

The three-time Grand Slam title winner produced 29 winners - a whopping 23 more than her 98th-ranked opponent.

Sharapova showed no signs of the shoulder tear that forced her to have surgery in October and kept her off the tour for nearly 10 months.

"This is a Grand Slam. You've got to get going from the first match," Sharapova said. "After being gone, this is what it's all about."

In addition to tennis skills and grit that once placed her No. 1 in the rankings, Sharapova always has placed an emphasis on fashion.

On this night, her black dress carried bold, metallic accents that would gain her entry into even the trendiest of New York clubs.

She paired it with a matching, '60s-style silver headband.

As often happens with Sharapova, the postmatch, on-court interview dealt as much with her getup as her game.

"It's always 50-50: You never know when people are going to like it or not," Sharapova told the crowd.

Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, seeded 11th, was bundled out in the first round by 52nd-ranked Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7).

The Serb had the worst showing ever by a top-seeded woman in New York last year when she exited in the second round. Ivanovic did herself one worse this time.

At least the 2008 French Open champion had a big support group in the stands, cheering for her wildly. Safina, in contrast, would look up at her coach for positive body language, and instead, he'd cover his eyes with his hands or turn his head with a wince.

"Well," Safina would say later, "I guess I had to think: 'What I'm doing wrong?"'

There's been some debate this season about whether Safina deserves the top ranking, one spot ahead of Serena Williams.

The Russian did not bolster her case on Tuesday.

Nearly undone by 11 double-faults and 48 total unforced errors, Safina was a point away from a 4-0 deficit in the third set before coming back to beat Olivia Rogowska of Australia 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.

Safina, younger sister of 2000 U.S. Open champion Marat Safin, is used to faring well in the early stages of Grand Slam tournaments.

Usually, it's later on that problems arise:

She is winless in three major finals, all lopsided losses, and she managed to win only one game against Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals in July.

"I was surprised that, you know, she was giving me free points," said Rogowska, an 18-year-old who never has defeated anyone ranked better than 47th.

As Rogowska spoke, her eyes were red, and she fiddled with a well-worn tissue.

"I'm disappointed I lost," she said, "and I didn't expect to say that after playing the No. 1 player in the world. It's a bit weird."

The day did feature the occasional upset: 276th-ranked Jesse Witten of the United States, knocked off No. 29-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia 6-4, 6-0, 6-2; Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium defeated No. 16 Virginie Razzano of France 6-4, 6-3; and Shahar Peer of Israel eliminated No. 32 Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-2, 6-2.

Otherwise, winners included 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, past runners-up Elena Dementieva of Russia and Serbian Jelena Jankovic, No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and Russian No. 13 Nadia Petrova.

Men's winners included 2008 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia and that tournament's runner-up, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, along with Spanish No. 10 Fernando Verdasco, No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, No. 16 Marin Cilic of Croatia, Czech No. 17 Tomas Berdych and No. 22 Sam Querrey of the United States.

Neither Safina nor Rogowska played particularly well.

They combined for 24 double-faults, 113 unforced errors and 15 service breaks over 2 1/2 hours.

"I put a lot of pressure on her serve," Rogowska said, "and it seemed to crumble a bit."

Afterward, Safina found two things to be happy about: She didn't break any rackets - something big brother Marat is known for - and she didn't receive any warnings from the chair umpire.

So, yes, the mental fragility she's acknowledged was an issue for her on court was a factor in her play, but at least Safina managed to keep it in check.

"It happens that you have a bad day and you want to ... say, 'I hate everything,"' Safina said.

"But at the end of the day, you win the match, even like this - I would say a little bit ugly. But you come in the hotel, and you are like, 'I made it.' Like, at the end of the day, that counts. I made it. I pulled it out, and that's what counts for me."

Rogowska, too, tried to find the positive in her day.

A year ago, after all, she was back home in Melbourne, watching the U.S. Open on television.

On Tuesday, she was playing in the tournament and nearly winning - against the woman who is ranked No. 1, no less.

"My heart was just going crazy, and I was breathing, like, really fast," Rogowska said.

"So next time, I guess, I'm just going to have to learn to stay calm, and, you know, not get too excited." - AP

US Open at a glance

A look at Tuesday's play at the U.S. Open:

WEATHER: Sunny. High of 73 F (23 C).

ATTENDANCE: Day: 34,603. Night: 23,763.

Total: 58,366.

MEN'S SEEDED WINNERS: No. 2 Andy Murray, No. 4 Novak Djokovic, No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 10 Fernando Verdasco, No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez, No. 16 Marin Cilic, No. 17 Tomas Berdych, No. 22 Sam Querrey, and No. 30 Viktor Troicki.

MEN'S SEEDED LOSERS: No. 19 Stanislas Wawrinka, No. 27 Ivo Karlovic and No. 29 Igor Andreev.

WOMEN'S SEEDED WINNERS: No. 1 Dinara Safina, No. 4 Elena Dementieva, No. 5 Jelena Jankovic, No. 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 13 Nadia Petrova, No. 19 Patty Schnyder, No. 21 Zheng Jie, No. 23 Sabine Lisicki, No. 24 Sorana Cirstea, No. 29 Maria Sharapova and No. 30 Alona Bondarenko.

WOMEN'S SEEDED LOSERS: No. 11 Ana Ivanovic, No. 16 Virginie Razzano, No. 27 Alisa Kleybanova, and No. 32 Agnes Szavay.

TOP PLAYERS ON COURT WEDNESDAY: Men: No. 1 Roger Federer vs. Simon Greul, No. 3 Rafael Nadal vs. Richard Gasquet. Women: No. 2 Serena Williams vs. Melinda Czink, No. 3 Venus Williams vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands. STAT OF THE DAY: Dinara Safina and Olivia Rogowska combined for 113 unforced errors and 24 double-faults.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It was crazy. It was lots of fun. Every time I won a point, the crowd was really loud. I had thrills down my spine." - 167th-ranked Olivia Rogowska, who held a 4-2 lead in the third set before losing to No. 1 Dinara Safina.

ON THIS DATE: Sept. 2, 1993: Two-time defending men's champion Stefan Edberg loses in four sets in the second round to Karel Novacek. - AP


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