A fist pump from Juan Martin del Potro on Arthur Ashe, as he bags the first set 6-4 against Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen.
Kyrgios then rattles through his service game in double quick time, as if to stick two fingers up at Ramos. It’s 3-3 in the third.
Nick Lester
(@nicklester)Kyrgios gets a code violation whilst sitting in his chair receiving treatment after a complaint by the line umpire, rough.
Kyrgios is getting more treatment at the changeover, trailing 3-2 on serve in the third set. “It’s just so annoying,” he mutters. He’s even more frustrated when the umpire, Carlos Ramos, gives him a code violation for swearing. Kyrgios protests his innocence. “This is ridiculous,” he says. “I didn’t say anything.” The Kyrgios show continues. Love him or loathe him, it’s certainly eventful.
Grigor Dimitrov, having played so beautifully today, is serving for the match against the bearded Vaclav Safranek and is break point down. The seventh seed saves it but then slips break point down again. No bother. He brings up match point and settles matters with a fizzing forehand winner to progress 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Kyrgios is getting treatment on his right shoulder. “I wasn’t feeling it at all and then on one serve, I lost power in my arm,” he tells the trainer. It’s the same shoulder that caused him to retire in Washington. It was his third retirement in a row, after Queen’s and Wimbledon, where he struggled with the hip problem that has disrupted his season. Surely he’s not going to quit again today? He’s even had one of the ball kids helping him exercise the shoulder. There’s never a dull moment when Kyrgios is involved.
Updated
at 6.50pm BST
Kyrgios is serving to level up against Millman. 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, 40-15, ace, so that’s the game and second set, 6-1.
Monfils, like Kyrgios, is arguably an underachiever, though injuries have played a big part in Monfils not making the most of his talent. But Monfils has won today, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 in that all-French affair against Chardy. He’ll play the American Donald Young next. Berdych has wrapped up victory too, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 against Harrison.
Simon Cambers
(@scambers73)Not often that one point turns a match but a 130mph second serve at 0-40 in the first game of the second set may do that for @NickKyrgios
Kyrgios seems to have emerged from his funk. He breaks as Millman slaps into the net, though the way Kyrgios shakes his head you’d think he’d just thrown the break point away. Kyrgios has to scrap – something he’s not always particularly keen to do – to consolidate the break. He’s 4-1 up in the second but trails by a set to love.
Updated
at 6.22pm BST
It’s all going rather well for Grigor Dimitrov on Grandstand, he’s now two sets to the good, 6-1, 6-4, against Vaclav Safranek, and is serving superbly. Tomas Berdych also leads by two sets to love, 6-4, 6-2, against one of the home hopes, Ryan Harrison. And it’s a similar scoreline for Gael Monfils, 7-6, 6-3 against his fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
Updated
at 6.24pm BST
Ben Rothenberg
(@BenRothenberg)Update on Bouchard vs USTA lawsuit:
Still no settlement. Trial possible as soon as this fall. USTA switched law firms 5 days ago.#usopen
Richard Gasquet is gone, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer. He should have been a grand slam contender, he could have been a grand slam contender, but it’s a second first-round exit on the spin at a major for the 31-year-old.
The giant has been slayed, the 6’11” Ivo Karlovic losing 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 to the American wildcard Bjorn Fratangelo.
And has it been baffling or brilliant from the enigma that is Nick Kyrgios in the first set? Baffling, because he’s lost it 6-3.
Bouchard is probably relieved that Juan Martin del Potro is sandwiched between her and Maria Sharapova on the Arthur Ashe schedule, given her comments about Sharapova when the Russian returned from her 15-month drug ban. At least she shouldn’t be bumping into her rival in the locker room today. Though there again, Bouchard did rather enjoy her meeting with Sharapova in Madrid in May – one of the rare highlights for Bouchard this year.
It’s all over for Bouchard on Arthur Ashe. The Canadian is bumped out in the first round for the second consecutive year, a final forlorn backhand slumping into the net – her 46th unforced error of the day – as she loses 7-6, 6-1 to Evgeniya Rodina. For the Russian, it’s her first grand slam match win of 2017.
Eugenie Bouchard of Canada reacts against Evgeniya Rodina of Russia. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Ben Rothenberg
(@BenRothenberg)…and now Bouchard is scheduled for the main interview room. #usopen
Updated
at 6.13pm BST
Dimitrov and Kyrgios are the fifth and sixth favourites with the bookies for the title what with Murray, Djokovic and Wawrinka being absent. But they could have their work cut out to make it out of their respective sections of the draw: Dimitrov is in Nadal’s quarter, while Kyrgios could play Federer in the last eight.
Speaking of Dimitrov, the rejuvenated Bulgarian has blitzed his way through the first set, 6-1, against the Czech Vaclav Safranek, and leads 4-2 in the second.
Svitolina’s victory on Louis Armstrong means the Nick Kyrgios show is getting under way on that court. The 22-year-old with incredible talent but questionable temperament is up against his fellow Australian John Millman. Kyrgios continues to mix flashes of brilliance with disappointing defeats and, after stunning Rafael Nadal in Cincinnati this month, slumped to a timid loss to Grigor Dimitrov in the final.
Some results to bring you: three Americans are through, Donald Young, Jennifer Brady and Nicole Gibbs, but Patrick Kypson is out. And Francesca Schiavone, the surprise 2010 French Open champion who is still playing at the ripe old age of 37, has been outlasted in three sets by Kaia Kanepi, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2. Another 37-year-old will be in action much later, as Venus Williams continues her campaign in the second night match on Arthur Ashe.
Bouchard’s crisis in confidence is hard to explain. When she reached the Wimbledon final in 2014 she was oozing confidence, it was almost unnerving how much self-belief she had. But since then she’s been beyond the fourth round of a slam only once. The 23-year-old’s down at 76 in the world rankings and, after four straight first-round defeats earlier this year, dropped down to playing on the ITF circuit. She recently spent some time hitting with Andre Agassi in Las Vegas in a bid to arrest her decline and also linked up with Gil Reyes, Agassi’s former trainer, for some physical conditioning. But, given her form in that first set, it doesn’t look to have given her the boost she needs.
Bouchard and Rodina are into a first-set tie-break. It’s going by rather quickly. Rodina 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0. The unforced errors are flying off Bouchard’s racket. The shadow formed by the new(ish) roof means that Bouchard is hidden in darkness at the moment, which seems rather appropriate. 4-1, which breaks a run of eight consecutive points for Rodina. 5-1. 6-1. Five set points. Rodina isn’t having to do anything to win this tie-break. Bouchard’s unforced error count is at 24. This is horrible to watch. Rodina fails on the first set point but secures the second, taking the breaker seven points to two.
Svitolina is one of six players who can end the tournament as the world No1. You’ve got to love the unpredictability of the women’s game, even though it is crying out for a few more personalities at the top.
Two match points for Svitolina on Louis Armstrong, at 40-15, 5-3 in the third set. Siniakova’s return whistles long and that’s that, the fourth seed wins 6-0, 6-7, 6-3. Svitolina survives. She’ll be mightily relieved given the edgy way in which she lost the second-set tie-break and went 2-0 down in the third. Svitolina will next play the winner of the match currently on Arthur Ashe between Bouchard and Rodina. That’s 5-5 in the opening set.
News of the first upset of the day. The women’s 14th seed, Kristina Mladenovic, is out, going down in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, to Romania’s Monica Niculescu.
Svitolina, having been a break down in the third set against Siniakova, has two chances to go a break up but can’t capitalise. Deuce. But here’s a third opportunity at her advantage. And this one she does take. That’s four games on the spin. She leads 4-2. Svitolina’s boyfriend is the England and Hampshire cricketer Reece Topley, so in the absence of any British women in the draw following Johanna Konta and Heather Watson’s defeats, perhaps in Britain we can claim her as one of our own.
Bouchard and Svitolina are both back on serve. Meanwhile, a quick word on yesterday’s action. If you didn’t know who Frances Tiafoe was before last night, you do now. The 19-year-old underlined his tremendous potential, in front of his home crowd, by giving Roger Federer a five-set fright under the lights. You can read our match report here.
Is there cause for concern for Federer? Here’s Sports Illustrated’s view.
The first winner of the day! Thiem is through in no time, whizzing through the third set 6-1 to seal a one-sided victory. Could the 23-year-old challenge for the title? Possibly. But he’s in Federer and Nadal’s half of the draw. And he’s still better on clay than he is on hard courts.
US Open Tennis
(@usopen).@ThiemDomi powers past young Aussie Alex De Minaur 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 to reach R2.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/ZEchebbV2p
Updated
at 4.45pm BST
And it’s much the same story for Bouchard on Ashe, who also trails by a break, 2-1, but that’s in the opening set.
Svitolina has had an impressive season, winning five titles, and although she still has something to prove at slam level, is considered among the contenders here. But the 22-year-old Ukrainian hasn’t got started today: after conceding that second set on a tie-break, she’s a break down, 2-1, in the third set.
And if that’s not enough for you: the Americans Donald Young, Jennifer Brady, Nicole Gibbs and Patrick Kypson are also back under way.
The talented Dominic Thiem leads Australia’s Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1, 2-0, Richard Gasquet is level at one set all, 6-3, 2-6, against Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer, the giant Ivo Karlovic is a set down but 4-3 up in the second against the American Bjorn Fratangelo and the 37-year-old Francesca Schiavone is 6-0, 3-5 against Kaia Kanepi.
Bouchard v Rodina is a first-round match, as are all of the other contests getting under way around the grounds. There’s an all-French affair between Gael Monfils and Jeremy Chardy, Tomas Berdych plays the American Ryan Harrison, while there are several players with unfinished business to resolve.
The women’s fourth seed, Elina Svitolina, resumed on Louis Armstrong a set up and in a second-set tie-break against the Czech Katerina Siniakova, who’s snatched it seven points to five. So that’ll be settled in a decider.
Updated
at 4.19pm BST
Are you ready? Let’s play. Kicking off the action on Arthur Ashe is Eugenie Bouchard against Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina. Bouchard is a rather curious choice for the main court given her struggles in recent years. The 2014 Wimbledon finalist, who was once ranked as high as five in the world, is now down at 76. And you wouldn’t think the US Open has much goodwill towards the Canadian when it comes to scheduling, given her ongoing lawsuit against the USTA, after she slipped on the locker room floor and suffered concussion in 2015.
Updated
at 4.13pm BST
Here’s the full order of play
Arthur Ashe Stadium
11am ET/4pm BST: Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) v Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)
Not before 1pm ET/6pm BST: Henri Laaksonen (SUI) v Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) [24], Timea Babos (HUN) v Maria Sharapova (RUS)
7pm/midnight: Oceane Dodin (FRA) v Venus Williams (USA) [9], Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [8] v Denis Shapovalov (CAN)
Louis Armstrong Stadium
11am ET/4pm BST: Elina Svitolina (UKR) [4] v Katerina Siniakova (CZE) to finish 6-0, 6-6(2-1), John Millman (AUS) v Nick Kyrgios (AUS) [14], Alison Riske (USA) v CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) [20], Hyeon Chung (KOR) v John Isner (USA) [10]
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Steve Johnson (USA) v Kyle Edmund (GBR)
Grandstand
11am ET/4pm BST: Dominic Thiem (AUT) [6] v Alex de Minaur (AUS) to finish 6-4, 6-1, 1-0, Vaclav Safranek (CZE) v Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) [7], Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [8], Allie Kiick (USA) v Daria Gavrilova (AUS) [25]
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Borna Coric (CRO) v Alexander Zverev (GER) [4]
Court 17
11am ET/4pm BST: Jeremy Chardy (FRA) v Gael Monfils (FRA) [18], Nao Hibino (JPN) v Catherine Bellis (USA), Lucas Pouille (FRA) [16] v Jared Donaldson (USA)
Not before 3pm ET/8pm BST: Florian Mayer (GER) v Marin Cilic (CRO) [5]
Court 5
11am ET/4pm BST: Ryan Harrison (USA) v Tomas Berdych (CZE) [15], David Goffin (BEL) [9] v Julien Benneteau (FRA), Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [10] v Petra Martic (CRO), Sam Querrey (USA) [17] v Dudi Sela (ISR)
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [5] v Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)
Court 10
11am ET/4pm BST: Leonardo Mayer (ARG) v Richard Gasquet (FRA) [26] to finish 3-6, 6-2, Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) v Taylor Fritz (USA), Ons Jabeur (TUN) v Brienne Minor (USA), Sofia Kenin (USA) v Sachia Vickery (USA)
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Sloane Stephens (USA) v Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) [11], Saisai Zheng (CHN) v Julia Goerges (GER) [30]
Court 13
11am ET/4pm BST: Yuichi Sugita (JPN) v Geoffrey Blancaneaux (FRA) to finish 6-2, 6-2, Taylor Townsend (USA) v Ana Bogdan (ROU), Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) v Feliciano Lopez (ESP) [31], Kurumi Nara (JPN) v Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP)
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Petra Kvitova (CZE) [13] v Alize Cornet (FRA), Ashleigh Barty (AUS) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Court 4
11am ET/4pm BST: Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) v Ivo Karlovic (CRO) to finish 7-6(2), 2-3, Malek Jazira (TUN) v Thiago Monteiro (BRA), Madison Brengle (USA) v Kirsten Flipkens (BEL), Mischa Zverev (GER) [23] v Benoit Paire (FRA)
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) v Caroline Garcia (FRA) [18]
Court 6
11am ET/4pm BST: Jennifer Brady (USA) v Andrea Petkovic (GER) to finish 6-4, 3-4, Adrian Mannarino (FRA) [30] v Ricardas Berankis (LTU), Shelby Rogers (USA) v Kayla Day (USA), Sabine Lisicki (GER) v Shuai Zhang (CHN) [27]
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Cameron Norrie (GBR) v Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) [12]
Court 7
11am ET/4pm BST: Nicole Gibbs (USA) v Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) to finish 6-0, 1-6, 1-0, Steve Darcis (BEL) v Guido Pella (ARG), Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) [11] v Andreas Seppi (ITA), Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) v Gilles Muller (LUX) [19]
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Donna Vekic (CRO) v Shuai Peng (CHN) [22]
Court 8
11am ET/4pm BST: Blaz Kavcic (SLO) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS), Aljaz Bedene (GBR) v Andrey Rublev (RUS), Daria Kasatkina (RUS) v Qiang Wang (CHN), Radu Albot (MDA) v Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE),
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) v Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) [29],
Court 9
11am ET/4pm BST: Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (ESP) v Patrick Kypson (USA) to finish 6-4, 4-3, Pablo Cuevas (URU) [27] v Damir Dzumhur (BIH), Sofya Zhuk (RUS) v Yulia Putintseva (KAZ), Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) [20] v Nicolas Mahut (FRA),
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) [16] v Kateryna Kozlova (UKR)
Court 11
11am ET/4pm BST: Monica Niculescu (ROU) v Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) [14] to finish 6-3, 1-1, Fabio Fognini (ITA) [22] v Stefano Travaglia (ITA), Dustin Brown (GER) v Thomaz Bellucci (BRA), Christina McHale (USA) v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) [19],
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Diego Schwartzman (ARG) [29] v Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)
Court 12
11am ET/4pm BST: Donald Young (USA) v Maximilian Marterer (GER), Tatjana Maria (GER) v Ashley Kratzer (USA), Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) [33] v Tim Smyczek (USA), Risa Ozaki (JPN) v Danielle Lao (USA)
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Kevin Anderson (RSA) [28] v Ernests Gulbis (LAT)
Court 14
11am ET/4pm BST: Taro Daniel (JPN) v Tommy Paul (USA), Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) v Nicolas Kicker (ARG), Anett Kontaveit (EST) [26] v Lucie Safarova (CZE), Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) v Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ)
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) v Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS)
Court 15
11am ET/4pm BST: Kaia Kanepi (EST) v Francesca Schiavone (ITA) to finish 0-6, 4-2, Viktor Troicki (SRB) v Norbert Gombos (SVK), Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v Vasek Pospisil (CAN), Elena Vesnina (RUS) [17] v Anna Blinkova (RUS)
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Maria Sakkari (GRE) v Arina Rodionova (AUS)
Court 16
11am ET/4pm BST: Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) v Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR), Denisa Allertova (CZE) v Rebecca Peterson (SWE), Vincent Millot (FRA) v Santiago Giraldo (COL), Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Thomas Fabbiano (ITA)
Not before 4pm ET/9pm BST: Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) [31] v Kristyna Pliskova (CZE)
Court TBA
Not before 6pm ET/11pm BST: Ying-Ying Duan (CHN) v Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) [3]
Preamble
Good morning/afternoon/evening depending on your worldly whereabouts, and welcome to day three of our US Open coverage.
This tournament has been leaking names at quite a rate, from those unable to feature at Flushing Meadows (Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Serena Williams et al) to those who failed in the first round (Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Johanna Konta). But after rain washed out most of yesterday’s play, there’s no shortage of players to pique your interest today, in a manic mix of 87 first and second-round matches.
It’s time to play catch-up!
So who’s in action? Maria Sharapova? Check. The former champions Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro? Check and check. Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova? Check, check and check. The three remaining Brits – Kyle Edmund, Aljaz Bedene and Cameron Norrie – all play; Williams is one of no fewer than 29 Americans who will be on court; and Nick Kyrgios spearheads eight Australians in action. Add to that the exciting talents of Alex Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov – who plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – along with Grigor Dimitrov, Tomas Berdych, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet, Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Agnieszka Radwanska, Elina Svitolina and the 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. The list goes on.
The weather forecast is good, so we should get through the schedule, which includes floodlit play later on all the outside courts. It could be a late night in the city that never sleeps.
Play begins at: 11am New York time/4pm BST, ie nearly NOW!