Roger Federer remains undefeated in 2nd round at U.S. Open
Nick Kyrgios' victory overshadowed by controversy, No. 2-seed Wozniacki upset
Make it 18-for-18 for Roger Federer in the second round of the U.S. Open.
The No. 2 seed beat Benoit Paire 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday in New York to continue his streak of reaching the third round in the tournament he has won five times.
Watch highlights from Federer's 2nd-round win:
Federer's coolness on the court belied another day where players needed cooling towels as much as their rackets. Federer, a five-time U.S. Open champion, had steeled himself for the heat by changing up his routine — he made an early trip to New York to prep his game in the sweltering sun.
"I felt like it's maybe one of these years where it could be hot," Federer said Thursday. "I had the plan to go to Dubai first, where it's extremely hot. I didn't want to be away from the family. I changed plans and said, 'Let's go early to America and prepare over here in the conditions that I'm actually going to see during the Open."'
Federer has eased up on his schedule, saying he no longer wanted to just "play, play, play." But when he does, there are still few better on the hard court. And his plan to pass on Dubai — where temps this week hit 110 degrees — for the breezy 90s in New York could be a factor in how far he goes.
"If you train in the cold all the time, all of a sudden it hits you, the humidity and heat," he said. "You're just not ready. I don't care how fit you are, what you're used to, the humidity can really get to you. I think that was a good choice."
Paire wilted in the heat — though, Federer's backhand and slicing serve was more to blame for his downfall.
Federer and Paire engaged in a soft volley that made it seem like the ball was floating through the air compared to the power of their 120 mph serves. When Federer finally slipped a winner by the Frenchman, Paire stared blankly ahead with an "I can't believe this" look of despair.
Kyrgios wins controversial match
After an unusual visit from the chair umpire, Kyrgios turned around his match and won it to reach the third round.
Kyrgios was down a set and 3-0 in the second when official Mohamed Lahyani climbed down from his seat and went over to speak to the player — something rarely, if ever, seen during a professional tennis match. At one point, Lahyani said, "I want to help you."
Watch the controversial interaction between Kyrgios and Lahyani:
The No. 30-seeded Kyrgios, who once was suspended by the ATP men's tour after not trying during a match, started playing better and eventually beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-0.
"This was not his job," Herbert said about Lahyani, whom he thinks should be sanctioned in some way. "I don't think he's a coach, he's an umpire, and he should stay on his chair for that."
The U.S. Open's referee and chief umpire were reviewing what happened, as was the Grand Slam Board. Chair umpires are never made available to the media, but tournament referee Brian Earley said Lahyani explained that he left his perch "to make sure he could communicate effectively" with Kyrgios in a noisy arena.
According to Earley, the official said he wanted to check whether Kyrgios needed medical attention and to warn the player that Lahyani "would need to take action" if the "seeming lack of interest in the match continued."
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen</a> puts out a statement on Kyrgios-Lahyani with its official version of events… which doesn’t align all that well with what was audible on microphones and why it was an issue. <a href="https://t.co/0FySZcUs9D">pic.twitter.com/0FySZcUs9D</a>
—@BenRothenbergDuring an occasionally confrontational and sarcastic exchange with reporters, Kyrgios laughed at the suggestion that he had received coaching or a pep talk from Lahyani.
"I mean, like, I don't have a coach. I haven't had a coach for, like, years. Of course he wasn't coaching me. Like, what are you talking about?" Kyrgios said.
"He said he liked me. I'm not sure if that was encouragement. He just said that it's not a good look," Kyrgios said about his chat with Lahyani. "Look. I wasn't feeling good. I know what I was doing out there wasn't good. I wasn't really listening to him, but I knew it wasn't a good look."
Federer criticized Lahyani for going to talk to Kyrgios for as long as he did, and from as close as he did.
Normally, a chair umpire leans over from his or her post to speak to a seated player during a changeover.
"I don't know what he said. I don't care what he said. It was not just about, 'How are you feeling?' 'Oh, I'm not feeling so well.' Go back up to the chair. He was there for too long. It's a conversation. Conversations can change your mindset. It can be a physio, a doctor, an umpire, for that matter," Federer said. "That's why it won't happen again. I think everybody knows that."
Djokovic gets by Sandgren
Novak Djokovic wasted a match point in the third set, before going on to win 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2 against Tennys Sandgren at the U.S. Open to reach the third round.
Djokovic had a much easier victory over Sandgren, an American ranked 61st, in Wimbledon's first round this year, dropping only six games in all.
Watch highlights from that match:
The 13-time major champion seemed to be along the same path at Flushing Meadows on Thursday night, standing one point from victory while leading 5-4 in the third set as Sandgren served at 30-40. But Sandgren ended an 11-stroke exchange with a forehand winner, then took the ensuing tiebreaker.
"I just lost it mentally," Djokovic said about his issues in the third set. "Those things happen, I guess. I'm not happy with the way I lost that concentration and composure there."
Djokovic regained the upper hand with an early break in the fourth and was on his way.
No.2 seed Wozniacki upset
No. 2 seed Caroline Wozniacki is out of the U.S. Open in the second round, joining No. 1 Simona Halep on the sideline.
Wozniacki lost 6-4, 6-2 to 36th-ranked Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.
Watch highlights from that match:
Wozniacki is the reigning Australian Open champion and twice was the runner-up at Flushing Meadows, in 2009 and 2014. But she's now lost in the second round at two consecutive majors, after doing the same at Wimbledon.
Tsurenko has never been past the fourth round at any Grand Slam tournament. She appeared to hurt her right forearm early in Wednesday night's match, and a trainer came out to massage Tsurenko at changeovers.
Sharapova overcomes struggles with serve
Maria Sharapova overcame a bit of a stumble and 10 double-faults to grab the last three games in a 6-2, 7-5 victory over 51st-ranked Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-2, 7-5 in the U.S. Open's second round.
Five-time major champion Sharapova got broken at love to trail 5-4 in the second set. Cirstea then served to force a third set, and was two points away from doing so at 30-15, but Sharapova broke there to start her match-ending run.
Watch highlights from that match:
Next up for Sharapova is a third-round matchup against 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.