US Open Day One Review: Unimpressive Nad kicks precedings off in New York

US Open Betting / Sean Calvert / 26 August 2008 / Leave a Comment

Sean Calvert is on the ground at Flushing Meadows. You can catch his day one review here...

It's my favourite time of the year - the start of the US Open and 14 days of spellbinding tennis awaits us, along with a few smashed racquets and one or two incidents along the way no doubt.

I'll be reviewing the action from my couch for the first few days before jetting out to catch the action live in New York.

Rafael Nadal kicked us off on Monday afternoon and rather annoyingly his first round match with Bjorn Phau got underway at roughly the same time as Andy Murray v Sergio Roitman, so we were stuck with the grating US commentators instead of Petchey and Shiras.

This led to me switching streams rather too often but, as Murray cruised his first set impressively, Nadal struggled, and Phau took the world number one to a breaker in set one.

The Spaniard, dressed resplendently in blue and white took the set with a very confident hawkeye challenge and I was able to escape to Court 11, where two rotund figures were plying their respective trades.

Yes, perennial Grand Slam underachiever and sometime bearer of both my financial hopes and a touch too much weight - David Nalbandian - was facing another who could do with a spell in fitness boot camp, Brazilian Marcos Daniel.

It could have been the baggy shirts the pair were sporting, but a fine advert for professional sporting physique this was most certainly not, however the Argentine number seven seed wasn't hanging around and took it in straight sets.

Daniel became the first racquet smasher of the event when he hammered it into the floor as Nalbandian passed him at net to break for the final time.

Over on Armstrong, Murray continued to play at the top of his game and outclass mediocre clay courter Roitman, but Nadal still wasn't having things all his own way on Ashe.

Determined not to suffer the US commentary team I switched to Eurosport and the dulcet tones of Frew McMillan and Chris Bradnam instead.

I never thought I'd live to see the day when I was relieved to hear Bradnam's voice, but I was glad I made the switch, as this was a decent match.

The diminutive German doesn't have many weapons in his armoury, but his one handed backhand is hit with some style and his speed around the court was frustrating Nadal a little in the early stages.

Away from the action, the most disturbing sight of the day was a glimpse of a shirtless Fernando Gonzalez posing for the 2009 ATP Calendar. Fortunately I managed to navigate away from that page with haste and back to Ashe in time for Nadal to break for the first time and break Phau's resistance.

Back on Armstrong, Murray took the second set, but also took a blow in a painful place from a Roitman body serve, which entertained both fans and players alike momentarily. Murray had the last laugh though, breaking and going on to bagel the Argentine for a straight sets success. The winning shot was pure bravado and he goes on to face Michael Llodra next.

The New York crowd didn't have much to enthuse them on Grandstand as home favourite 'Long' John Isner struggled against German, Andreas Beck, dropping the first two sets, but as the Bud Lite's began to kick in around 5pm New York time the chants began, albeit half heartedly.

The familiar 'Lets go (Isner)' preceded 'USA..USA..USA' as the man with the size 15 feet closed in on the third set and took it to a breaker.

Isner couldn't rise to the occasion though, as Beck took it to send the American home early and after bursting on to the scene and taking a set off Federer here last year, Isner has had a very poor season this time.

Phau meanwhile hadn't disappeared as most thought and took the third set to a breaker before succumbing to the inevitable. But this was a nervy performance from Nadal, who was broken when serving for the match and he'll be glad to have got that one out of the way.

Following a brief trip to Grandstand to check on the early progress of Caroline Wozniacki - purely for sporting reasons you understand - it was off to Ashe to watch number 10 seed and last year's semi finalist Anna Chakvetadze bow out.

The Russian has had a poor year and after hitting a forehand long to lose to compatriot Ekaterina Makarova she displayed a look that is normally only reserved for people who have just received a life sentence and glared at her coach as if to say: "That was entirely your fault".

With only an average-looking night session involving James Blake to look forward to after that I called it a night, looking forward to Tuesday's action.