Rain washed out most of the play during Day 3 of the 2019 US Open, though fans were still able to catch some of the biggest attractions in the two roofed stadiums at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams were all able to play their second-round matches, and all advanced – albeit with some difficulty.
McNally Pushes Williams to Third Set
It was Williams who came the closest to being upset on Wednesday. American 17-year-old Caty McNally, who entered the US Open as a wild card, took the first set off the 23-time Grand Slam champion before ultimately falling 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.
McNally impressed with a blistering serve-and-volley game, showing a wide variety of shots and tactics that kept Serena off balance, at least for a little while.
“Not everyone is just going to stay at the baseline and smack balls. That’s not who I am,†McNally said after the match. “I’m trying to get into the net, take points at the net, take time away from my opponents. [I’m] just going to keep working on that.â€
Federer’s US Open Struggles Continue
Federer also ran into some early troubles, as he once again dropped his first set before coming back to defeat Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. In one of the worst starts of Federer’s illustrious career, he dropped the first four games before seemingly coming out of his funk, having the better of the last few games of the first set before going on to control the remainder of the match.
It was a near repeat of his first-round match, when he dropped the first set to qualifier Sumit Nagal.
“When it happens like this back-to-back matches, it’s just a bit frustrating more than anything, especially when the level is that low and there is that many errors and the energy is not kind of there,†Federer told reporters. “But I can only do better, which is a great thing moving forward.â€
Djokovic also had trouble, as he had to overcome a left shoulder injury in beating Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. At one point, the No. 1 seed was down 3-0 in the second set and clearly hurting, and the trainer had to come out on multiple occasions to tend to Djokovic’s injury.
“This is something I’ve been carrying for quite a while now, Djokovic – who did not provide details on the injury – said after the win. “It wasn’t easy playing with the pain and you have to fight and hope you get lucky with some shots.â€
Nadal, Osaka in Action on Thursday
While Wednesday’s rain caused many US Open matches to be pushed back a day, the roofs on Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium were enough to keep the marquee attractions right on schedule, and more of the top players in the world will be in action on the main courts on Thursday.
That includes women’s No. 1 seed Naomi Osaka, who will look to regain her form in a second-round matchup with Magda Linette. Despite her lofty ranking, FanDuel Sportsbook only rates Osaka as a -240 favorite over Linette (+198), who hails from Poland and is ranked 53rd in the world.
Also in action is Rafael Nadal (-2000), who shouldn’t have much trouble against Australian wild-card entry Thanasi Kokkinakis (+1180). Simona Halep (-950) will take on American qualifier Taylor Townsend (+630), while Daniil Medvedev (-5000) battles Hugo Dellien (+2500).
