ATP US Open: Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov bow out. Marin Cilic advances

Following the final run in Cincinnati last week, Milos Raonic was among dark horses at the US Open, hoping for another notable result in New York. The 25th seed had never played in the quarter-final at this Major and that will not change this week, suffering a 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 loss to a fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil in three hours and 18 minutes. It was their fourth meeting and the second straight victory for Vasek who never lost serve, fending off all five break opportunities and seizing two breaks from ten chances on the return that carried him over the top. Thanks to 49 aces combined, they both had more winners than unforced errors, with Pospisil taking 11 points more to cross the finish line in four sets and advance into the last 32. The opening set saw ten commanding holds and one tricky service game for them both. Milos saved four break chances in the first game of the encounter, earning a massive opportunity to move in front after creating three break points at 4-3.

Vasek erased them to reach a tie break where Raonic dominated with three mini-breaks for a 7-1 after 54 minutes. Pospisil dropped six points behind the initial shot in set number two, protecting his service games and securing a break at 3-2 that carried him in front. Vasek closed the set with a forehand winner in game nine, gathering boost ahead of the remaining ones. Like the first, the third set saw one challenging service game for both, with all five break chances come and gone for another tie break, the one that Vasek claimed with two winners at 5-4, moving closer to the finish line. Nothing could separate them in the opening seven games of the fourth set before Raonic netted a forehand to suffer a break and fall 5-3 behind, allowing Pospisil to seal the deal with an ace in game nine. The 2014 champion Marin Cilic is miles from that form, struggling in both opening matches but reaching the third round following a 6-3, 1-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory over Norbert Gombos in just under three hours.

Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov hit exit door in round two in New York. 

Thanks to that second set, the Slovak won one point more than the Croat, delivering four breaks just like Marin but failing to send the encounter into a decider. Cilic rattled off the last three games of the opener for a 6-3, suffering two breaks in set number two and starting all over in the third. There, Norbert led 4-2 before Marin pulled the break back, reaching the tie break and winning it 7-2 to move in front. The Croat saved two set points at 4-5 in set number four, stealing Gombos' serve in the next game and moving over the top with a hold in game 12. Making the Major debut at home, J.J Wolf is through to the third round after a commanding 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Roberto Carballes Baena in an hour and 57 minutes. Wolf got broken twice and had the upper hand on the return that led him towards seven breaks and a comfortable victory. The American had 50 winners and 32 unforced errors, leaving the rival far behind and making a notable first appearance at Majors.

J.J opened a 4-0 lead in the opener, taking five out of the last six games in set number two for a 6-2, 6-4 advantage. Wolf grabbed three breaks in the third set, sealing the deal in style and setting the clash against the last year's finalist Daniil Medvedev. In the longest match of the tournament so far, Marton Fucsovics ousted the semi-finalist from 2019 Grigor Dimitrov 6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in four hours and 50 minutes! Marton grabbed eight breaks, experiencing six loose service games and crossing the finish line first with reliable performance in sets four and five. They needed more than two and a half hours to split the opening two sets in the tie breaks, with Dimitrov wasting four set points at 5-4 in set number two that could have pushed him two sets to love in front, serving for the set twice. The Bulgarian played well in the third to forge another lead and led 3-1 in the fourth, only to drop 11 of the last 13 games! Fucsovics remained in contention with three straight breaks in set number four, gathering momentum and sealing the deal with a double break in the decider, becoming the first Hungarian in the US Open's third round since 1975! 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3jDck6C