Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan on the opening day of US Open 2022.
Tsitsipas, who was in with a shot of rising to World No 1 had he made the US Open final, was bundled out by Galan 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.
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“It just didn’t go as planned,” said Tsitsipas, the fourth seed.
“Sometimes you just need to let it go, you don’t need to overthink it, you don’t need to push yourself too hard but at the same time it’s difficult because there’s this open opportunity right in front of you, you don’t want to mess it up, you don’t want to waste it.”
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Former champion Dominic Thiem and two-time major champion Simona Halep also made early exits.
Thiem, playing his first match at the US Open since winning the title in 2020, went down 7-5, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.
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Seventh seed was the biggest casualty in the women’s draw, crashing out 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 to Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur.
Andy Murray, Coco Gauff through
But there were no such problems for US teenager and 12th seed Coco Gauff, who cruised past France’s Leolia Jeanjean 6-2, 6-3.
Andy Murray marked the 10th anniversary of his maiden Grand Slam win with a straight sets defeat of Argentinian 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo.
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The 35-year-old Scot showed no signs of recent cramping problems in a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 win, but admitted afterwards: “It felt like five sets.”
It was Murray’s first straight sets win at a Grand Slam event since 2017.
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Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev comfortably dispatched world No.111 Kozlov 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 in just over two hours.
Medvedev, bidding to become the first man to defend the US crown since Roger Federer retained the title in 2008, faces France’s Arthur Rinderknech in the second round.
