Mardy Fish easily lived up to the billing as the top American at this year’s U.S. Open, opening his stay at Flushing Meadows with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory on Monday over Tobias Kamke of Germany.
The victory included a between-the-legs shot in the final game of a match that took only 1 hour, 43 minutes.
“To be honest, I thought that was my only shot,” Fish said. “I didn’t try to hit a winner. Just tried to make it.”
“I’m just so excited to be in this position. To be out here. I don’t get to play out here too often,” Fish said. “Hopefully, I’ll get to play out here more this year.”
Indeed, a lot feels new for the 29-year-old from Los Angeles, who has never gotten further than the quarterfinals at a major.
Fish opened the match by losing his serve, but that turned out to be the only hiccup. He is one of 14 American men entered in the U.S. Open, as the host country continues its quest to find the next great champion. No U.S. man has won a major since Andy Roddick won in New York in 2003.
“Andy’s been the No. 1 player in our generation for years,” Fish said. “This is extremely different for me, this feeling coming out here and trying to show everything you can, to show you’re the No. 1 guy, at least for this tournament. It’s been a lot of fun.”
While Fish’s match was moving along in routine fashion, Wimbledon women’s champion Petra Kvitova became the first major upset victim of the tournament, committing 52 unforced errors in a 7-6 (3), 6-3 loss to Alexandra Dulgheru.
Also winning in early play on Monday was Marin Cilic, who defeated 19-year-old American Ryan Harrison 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (6).
Other early winners included ninth-seeded Tomas Berdych, 20th-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, No. 31 Marcel Granollers, No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov and, on the women’s side, No. 19 Julia Goerges.
