US Open : All 3 Indians, Djokovic advance ; Raonic, Muguruza knocked out

US Open : All 3 Indians, Djokovic advance ; Raonic, Muguruza knocked out

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India's doubles stars Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna began their respective campaigns with wins in the opening round at the Flushing Meadows. While Novak Djokovic's opponent Jiri Vesely, who defeated Saketh Myneni earlier, retired to give him a pass, Milos Raonic was not so lucky.

Indian

Leander Paes and his mixed doubles partner Martina Hingis had a stroll in the park as they ran through the American duo of Sachia Vickery and Frances Tiafoe in just 51 minutes. The Indo-Swiss duo broke their opponent's serve four times across the sets as they won 6-3, 6-2.

Sania Mirza and her new partner Barbora Strycova paired up for the Cincinnati Open and had won their very first event. Although Sania found another partner last week for the Connecticut Open, the duo were back together on court at the Flushing Meadows. Mirza and Strycova also defeated their unseeded American opponents Jada Myii Hart and Ena Shibahara 6-2, 6-3 in a span of 1 hour and 9 minutes to reach the second round.

However, in the men's doubles event, Rohan Bopanna had a difficult outing with his Danish partner Frederik Nielsen as they labored to a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3 win over 16th seeds Radek Stepanek and Nenad Zimonjic.

International

Top seed Novak Djokovic received a rest day after his opponent Jiri Vesely, who had downed India's Saketh Myneni in a gruelling five-setter, retired from a wrist inflammation. The Serb advanced to the third round where he, after three days off, will be facing Russia's Mikhail Youzhny on Friday.

Fifth seed Milos Raonic of Canada, who was predicted to be one of the title contenders, crashed out of the Open after losing to American qualifier and world number 120 Ryan Harrison 7-6(4), 5-7, 5-7, 1-6.

"It was probably just nerves and stress, a mental sort of over-exuberance," Raonic said.

"Cramping in the left arm, right forearm there towards the end of the third set, both quads, a little bit in the hip flexor on the left. It was just catching me all over,” Raonic added.

In the women's fray, third-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza lost 7-5 6-4 to Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova.

Second seed Germany's Angelique Kerber beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia 6-2 7-6 (9-7) and could have a shot at the World No.1 spot soon.

Two-time US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki looked set for a bagel but came back superbly to defeat former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Wozniacki was at one point 0-4 down and a point away from 0-5 in the first set against Kuznetsova, but came back to win 6-4 6-4 and reach the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon last year.

"I stopped looking at the ranking once I fell out of the top 10," the 26-year-old said. "I feel like I belong at the top.

"Today I beat someone who's been playing really well this year and that's definitely going to build my confidence," she said, reported BBC.

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