The US Open Grand Slam is here! The three-round qualification began on Tuesday at the courts in New York, in which a total of ten Czech representatives will participate, four of them presented themselves on the opening day of play. Unfortunately, Dalibor Svrčina, Barbora Palicová and Tereza Martincová did not make it this time, but Tomáš Macháč kept the Czech banner after Tuesday’s program with a commanding victory.
Macháč made it to the 2nd round of the US Open qualification
Tomáš Macháč (123rd) stayed on the court for only 68 minutes, who after an even first set was able to make quick progress with his opponent in the second set and bring the match to a well-deserved victory. Laurent Lokoli (224th) was not held back by service, nerves or any other key game factor. In the second round of the qualification, Macháč’s opponent will be the well-known South African veteran, 37-year-old Kevin Anderson, who at the beginning of the qualification beat the Ukrainian Krutych 6:3 and 7:5.
“I played very solid tennis with a minimum of mistakes. I went for the balls well, I returned well and I didn’t give him a chance on my serve, I’m satisfied,” Macháč did not spare his well-deserved joy after the progress.
The only Czech tennis player who scored a victory on Tuesday did not lose his determination even for the rest of the qualification. “Goals are always higher when you have something behind you. My goal is to qualify, I will fight for every ball.”
Martincová succumbed to the French sokina
For the experienced Tereza Martincová (120th), the last Grand Slam of the season ends already in the 1st round of qualification. Especially in the second set, the Czech player had the opportunity to turn the match in her favor in the form of two breaks, but she was unable to confirm either of them on her serve. After two sets, she lost to French player Leolia Jeanjean (143rd) 3:6 and 7:5 after she lost her serve in the second set at 5:5.
Palicova was not enough for Volynetsova
Barbora Palicová (236th) did not record a winning debut in the US Open qualification. The 19-year-old Czech lost to 25th-ranked Katie Volynetsová (127th) in the opening round duel, namely in one hour and 27 minutes after sets 3:6 and 4:6.
Against the American favorite, Palicová, playing aggressively, did not perform badly at all, but she lacked more game consistency to progress. In the second set, Palicová was twice ahead by a break, but never once did she manage to confirm the return on serve. From the score of 4:3, she lost three games in a row and thus the entire match.
“The opponent was more consistent. I thought I was better in the exchanges, but I lacked the winning ability to maintain my performance in important situations. In the second set, I led 3:2, 4:3, there it was by a few balls that I didn’t keep, that was ultimately the key to the entire second set,” Palicová looked for the reasons for the unsuccessful match against the home favorite.
Česká naděje qualified for the Grand Slam in almost five minutes and twelve, according to herself, she did not calculate too much with her possible participation in the tournament in America. “Basically, I didn’t even count on it. I flew to the tournament in London, I was in New York only three days before, I also struggled a bit with jet lag, the preparation was not exactly ideal.
It is still a great experience for the young player, and by participating in the US Open, she completed a collection of starts at all 4 major events. “For sure, it’s the fourth Grand Slam of the year for me, I’ve already tried all of them, I know what awaits me and I’ll of course work hard to come here again,” Palicová said determinedly, praising the local environment.
Svrčina does not qualify for the US Open
Dalibor Svrčina’s (165th) US Open qualifying journey ended in the first round. In it, the young Czech lost to the Brazilian Felipe Meligeni Alves (170th) after an hour and 43 minutes 6:2, 2:6 and 3:6.
Svrčin was successful in the opening set, when he broke his opponent’s serve three times. In the second and third sets, however, he did not succeed on the return and lost his serve three times.
“I knew it wasn’t an easy draw, because I know my opponent and I know he can play excellently, he flies a lot from all his shots. In the first set, my opponent even helped me, he didn’t serve so well. He kept serving the second serve to the backhand, where I had a pleasant return,” Svrčina told Tennis World, but he did not follow up on the successful start of the duel.
“I tried to focus on myself, but it broke a lot in the second set, where I had two break points at the beginning of the set and I played badly. My opponent immediately broke me and held serve for 3:0. He started to play better, served more variably, went over the first serve more and didn’t give me many chances,” the Czech tennis player mentioned.
“The opponent performed well in the next two sets. I played ok, but with some mistakes. The service from me today was not bad, but I definitely have to improve it,” he added.
US Open (Men’s Women’s USA $65,000,000 Hard Court)
1st round of qualification
Felipe Meligeni Alves (BRA, 170.) – DALIBOR SVRCINA (165.) 2:6, 6:2, 6:3
BARBORA PALICOVÁ (236.) – Katie Volynetsova (USA, 127th) 3:6, 4:6
Leolia Jeanjeanová (FRA, 143.) – TEREZA MARTINCOVÁ (120th) 6:3, 7:5
Laurent Lokoli (FRA, 224.) – TOMÁŠ MACHÁČ (123.) 4:6, 1:6
The complete program and results of the day can be found on the official website of the tournament.
Editor, photo: Czech Tennis Association / Pavel Lebeda (sport-pics.cz)
Tereza Martincová Dalibor Svrčina Tomáš Macháč Barbora Palicová
2023-08-23 01:24:30
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