Day 2 of the US Open was another stirring day of tennis. While there were no major upsets or results of note, there were plenty of players who began to put their marks on the tournament.

Honor Roll:

Kei Nishikori (defeated Odesnik 62 64 62)- A top 20 player beating Odesnik is not a major victory, but Kei is coming back from injury and was doubtful for this tournament. It was a strong, healthy showing from someone who needs a good result to sustain his hard-earned ranking.

Richard Gasquet (defeated Istomin 75 76 64)- Gasquet got a battle from Istomin, who could definitely be a top-30 player in his own right if he found some consistency. He had it today and it showed, as he battled Gasquet from start to (almost) finish. Gasquet had to play well and stay solid to defeat Istomin, who pulled out some incredible tennis when moments called for it.

Borna Coric (defeated Rosol 64 61 62)- This match wasn’t televised, so it’s impossible to know exactly what happened, but the stats tell their own story. Coric earned 19 break chances on Rosol’s serve while saving all five of his own break points. He won over 60% of the points played against a top-35 player, which is very impressive from this up-and-comer. Matches like this don’t happen unless Rosol was a bit off his game as well, but Coric is definitely beginning to make a name for himself. We’ll get a chance to see him more in this tournament, that is for sure. 

Room for Improvement:

David Ferrer (defeated Dzumhur 61 62 26 62)- Ferrer was very strong for three-quarters of this match but, like Murray yesterday, just checked out during the third set. It was a strangely awful set of tennis from the world No. 5 and one that he will have to avoid if he wants to go deep in this tournament.

Sam Querrey (defeated Maximo Gonzalez 62 46 64 46 63)- Querrey is a far cry from the form that took him into the top 20 a few years ago. His serve is less consistent than it used to be, and his baseline game can be very poor at times. This is his best surface and one that Maximo struggles on. If Querrey wants to get back to consistently being the American No. 2, he needs to find his game again.

Denis Istomin (lost to Gasquet 57 67 46)- Istomin played a strong match and really challenged Gasquet, forcing the Frenchman into many uncomfortable long rallies. But he gets in here for the way he ended the match. Gasquet likes to serve the same ball again after hitting an ace. So after Gasquet his an ace to earn
triple match point, Istomin intentionally hit the ball out of the stadium to earn a point penalty and lose the match. It was a poor decision from the usually sportsmanlike Istomin.

Match of the Day:

The only five-setter of the day was the aforementioned Querrey/Gonzalez one, and it was not a pretty match, to say the least. Gonzalez had stretches of good play, but that match was all on Querrey’s racket, and Querrey did not play well for far too much of it. Instead, I am going to say that the best match of the day was Gael Monfils over Jared Donaldson. This match was a routine three-setter by scoreline, but it was exciting. Both Monfils and Donaldson hit some incredible shots, with Donaldson fighting the entire match, even though Monfils was clearly the better player. It was a fan’s delight, even with Federer playing just one court over..