New York (USA): Top seed Karolina Pliskova reached the second round of the US Open as the Grand Slam event got underway on Monday with empty stands and enhanced safety protocols for COVID-19.
Pliskova made light work of 145th-ranked Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-0 in one of the early matches.
German Angelique Kerber, the 2016 US Open champion, also progressed to the second round, thanks to a tightly fought 6-4, 6-4 straight-sets victory against Australia’s Ajila Tomljanovic.
Match-winning points went uncheered, ball persons wore masks, and players had to reach for their own towels in a tightly controlled environment that made for a opening day Slam unlike any other.
“The conditions are strange, we miss the fans,” said France’s Kristina Mladenovic after a 7-5, 6-2 win over American Hailey Baptiste.
Mladenovic was one of several players forced to adhere to stricter safety measures after compatriot Paire was withdrawn from the men’s draw on Sunday after organizers announced an unidentified player had tested positive for COVID-19.
Several players including Richard Gasquet, Adrian Mannarino and Edouard Roger-Vasselin had been in contact with Paire, according to French sports publication L’Equipe, leading to doubts about their participation.
The United States Tennis Association confirmed that a number of players were now being tested on a daily basis, rather than every four days.
And the New York Times reported that they were also only allowed to leave their hotel room to travel to the US National Tennis Center. Previously they had been allowed in communal areas.
But tournament director Stacey Allaster confirmed that no player linked to Paire had been thrown out.
“We got some bad news two days ago and since then I’ve been living in a nightmare,” said 30th seed Mladenovic.
