Four hours, twelve minutes, one kit change
Flavio Cobolli walked off court at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday having played 4h12 of tennis. He had also, for the first time in his career, won a match after losing the opening two sets.
Final score against Francisco Comesana: 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
The Italian is seeded fifth here and reached the French Open final last year. None of that was helping him at two sets down. What did help, apparently, was a trip to the locker room and a completely fresh set of clothes.
“In a Grand Slam, it is never over,” he said. “You have to fight for every last point.”
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The men’s draw keeps losing names
Novak Djokovic, the fourth seed, is out. Arthur Fils, seeded 10th, is out.
And the bracket never had its biggest name to begin with. Jannik Sinner, world number one and Cobolli’s compatriot, withdrew before the tournament with a right knee injury.
Taylor Fritz went about his business rather more calmly. The ninth seed beat 18-year-old American Darwin Blanch 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and was gone inside two hours.
Sakkari had the better escape act
Cobolli’s afternoon was not even the most improbable recovery on site. Maria Sakkari trailed Robin Montgomery 6-2, 4-0. The Greek, seeded 32nd, came through 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
“I just kept telling myself anything was possible,” said Sakkari, a semi-finalist at both the US Open and Wimbledon in 2021. “Everyone is so good in tennis now, but she doesn’t have the experience I do.”
Madison Keys beat Alina Korneeva 7-5, 6-4. Elena Rybakina saw off Thea Frodin 6-3, 6-2. Mirra Andreeva needed barely an hour against Janice Tjen, winning 6-2, 6-2. Belinda Bencic, the 12th seed, went out in three to Yulia Putintseva. Rain interfered with all of it, and for much of the morning only the covered Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts were in use.
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