Don't miss any stories Follow Tennis View

Tough Start For Americans In Melbourne

Jan 15th 2018

The first major of the season began on Monday and as play was interrupted by rain early, a cloud also hung over the Americans.

In a tough opening round match for both players, Venus Williams and Belinda Bencic squared off in a contest that had the feel of a late round match. The Swiss competed at a high level and defeated the American 6-3, 7-5.

Bencic, who missed significant time due to injury, is still working to regain her peak ranking and form. But in the first set, she went toe-to-toe with the big-hitting Williams, confidently striking winners and exhibiting her new-and-improved serve. She gained the advantage and after a brief rain delay, closed out the set.

Venus Williams

Williams was quick to gain momentum in the second set, picking up a service break early. But Bencic immediately bounced back to even the set at 2-2. After leveling the set, Bencic kept the pressure on throughout the balance of it. A trend emerged as Venus had to fight to hold her serve, while Bencic found it much easier to hold hers. The Swiss played clean, precise tennis moving Williams around the court and keeping her off balance. And as the veteran served to stay in the match at 5-6, Bencic closed out the match with a break.

It was amazing, this match,” said Bencic. “I think the level was great. She beat me four times before, so I was really happy I took my chance this time. Obviously, I’m just happy to be back playing.”

Another American who found the going in Melbourne difficult was John Isner, who fell to Australian Matthew Ebden 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6. The newly-married Isner never found his groove in the match.

Ebden broke the big-server 4 times in the match as Isner failed to dominate on his first serve in his typical fashion.

John Isner

 “It's unbelievable,” Ebden said. “I've lost to John the last two times and he's so tough to beat but I got immense positivity from the crowd and I feel great and full of energy.”

Meanwhile, top American Jack Sock went out with a whimper, falling to Yuichi Sugita 6-1, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3. The 8-seed fell into a deficit too large to overcome and could not find his top-level game. Sugita struck 53 winners in the match.

It was a difficult start to the tournament for the Americans. The women began 0-8 in the day session as Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Taylor Townsend, Ali Riske, Coco Vandeweghe, Cici Bellis, and Jennifer Brady joined Venus in losing their first-round matches. Ryan Harrison and Mackenzie McDonald finally broke through for wins in the men’s draw.