09/01/26 02:50:00
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09/01 14:49 CDT No. 5 Cobolli rallies from two sets down at the US Open as play
picks up after a morning of rain
No. 5 Cobolli rallies from two sets down at the US Open as play picks up after
a morning of rain
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Flavio Cobolli rallied from two sets down to win his
first-round match at the U.S. Open on Tuesday, avoiding another early upset on
the men's side.
The No. 5 seed and French Open runner-up beat Francisco Comesana 3-6, 2-6, 6-3,
6-4, 6-4, finishing his match that lasted 4 hours, 12 minutes not long after
some sun had broken through the clouds and allowed play to start on all the
outside courts after a morning of rain.
Cobolli made his first career two-set comeback to avoid joining No. 4 seed
Novak Djokovic and No. 10 Arthur Fils among early losers in a men's draw that
was already missing top-ranked Jannik Sinner, Cobolli's fellow Italian who was
unable to play in the tournament because of a right knee injury.
He said he took a bathroom break after the second set and decided to change
everything.
"So I changed all the dress that I started with today and it works," Cobolli
said. "In Grand Slams it's never done. You have to fight until the last point."
No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz, the 2024 runner-up, rolled to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory
over 18-year-old fellow American Darwin Blanch.
Madison Keys was the only other player to move into the second round early in a
tournament where rain threatened to hamper the schedule for a couple days.
Showers that began Monday night and would possibly be on and off through the
middle of the week delayed play on all the outer courts, allowing for action
only in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, which have retractable
roofs.
Keys, the No. 22 seed, beat 19-year-old Alina Korneeva 7-5, 6-4 in the leadoff
match in Ashe. The 2017 U.S. Open runner-up was knocked off in the first round
last year in Flushing Meadows.
"It's always tough playing someone young and up and coming, and they're going
after their shots," Keys said. "And it's so hard to play a first round of a
Grand Slam, so nervous and just wanting to do so well. So, really happy I was
able to kind of fight through that and win today."
Play finally began outdoors in the middle of the afternoon. Among those who
finally got going were No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina, No. 12 Belinda Bencic and No.
32 Maria Sakkari.
Rybakina has multiple routes to the No. 1 ranking at the U.S. Open. She was
facing American Thea Frodin, a 17-year-old from California who was the body
double for actor Demi Singleton, who played Serena Williams, in the 2021 film
"King Richard."
Coco Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, No. 17 Alex Eala, and men's No. 1 seed
Alexander Zverev were scheduled at night on the third and last day of the first
round.
Keys was broken when serving for the match with a 5-3 lead but recovered to
break back in the next game and finish up the match.
The American lost to Sloane Stephens in the 2017 U.S. Open final and returned
to Flushing Meadows last year after winning the first major title of her career
by beating No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. But what started
out as a great year fell flat at the finish after Keys was stunned by Renata
Zarazua of Mexico in the first round of last year's U.S. Open after committing
89 unforced errors.
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