With so many Britons in action at Flushing Meadows on first Tuesday, it was hard to know where to look. But as the saying goes, it’s a good problem to have.
The day after one of four British men in the main draw, No84 ranked Kyle Edmund, scored the best win of his career over Richard Gasquet, and one of four British women, top-ranked No13 seed Johanna Konta, cruised past Bethanie Mattek-Sands, their six compatriots opened their campaigns.
Andy Murray, No2 seed, Wimbledon and Olympic champion, and many pundits’ pick for a second US Open title here this year, would close proceedings on Arthur Ashe late into the night.
But at the start of another day already touching 25C by 11am, GB’s second-ranked man Daniel Evans, enjoying a career-high month at 64, took on a beatable opening opponent in wild card Rajeev Ram.
Evans, here fresh from winning the Challenger in Aptos and victories over the likes of Grigor Dimitrov in Washington and Alexandr Dolgopolov at Wimbledon, had reason to be optimistic against his fellow single-hander, and he had a spring in his step from the off.
Evans is a nimble, quick player who, when fully focused, has an urgency about his tennis. Clad in Dayglo yellow from head to toe—just as his Nike stablemate Edmund the previous day—he was hard to miss but hard to follow, a retina-burning blur.
Ram is good doubles player with a big serve, and he delivered three aces to hold his opening game, but Evans broke in the fourth—only to be broken straight back.
Cue Evans to up his scurrying tactics, and he broke again, fought off four deuces and a couple of break-back points, and looked in complete control with another break—helped not a little by a double fault from Ram—for the set, 6-2.
He looked on a roll with an early break in the second, but again Ram broke straight back, and Evans was livid with himself. Now everything began to distract him—people walking by the court and up into the stands—and he talked to his box, threw his arms up in irritation, and sure enough, conceded a break in the ninth.
The shifts in momentum continued as Ram now fired errors for break point, but the American got the better of a final backhand exchange for the set, 6-4.
There was nothing in it in the third, not until a tie-break loomed, and after 50 minutes, Evans put up a pitch-perfect cross-court lob to break for the set, 7-5.
The 32-year-old Ram began to slow as the match headed into its third hour, and Evans now regained his energy and bustle to take full advantage. He broke with an angled forehand winner for 2-0, and held to love. Another break, and he was 5-0, but Ram stirred himself one last time to hold before Evans served it out with his third ace of the match, 6-1.
It had taken two and a half hours in high temperatures, but Evans still took time to sign for numerous young fans courtside, handing out caps and balls, and taking selfies.
And while all this was going on, just a couple of metres away on Court 5, teenage star and No27 seed was getting plenty of support from the big, youthful crowd that packed the walkways and stands. The tall, big-hitting German pulled back from a set down against compatriot Daniel Brands to steal a popular victory, in just five minutes more than Evans, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6.
And that set a fascinating Round 2 contest between two very contrasting players: Evans, at 5ft9in and with a busy all-court game, and the 6ft6in Zverev, who plays with a double-handed backhand and serves at over 130mph. They have never met before, and their first match will be worth catching.
Meanwhile, GB’s No2 woman player, Heather Watson, was having a tough time on Court 13 against the Dutch qualifier Richel Hogenkamp.
Currently ranked down at 73, Watson has found wins hard to come by, winning just three main-draw matches since a fourth-round run at Miami in March.
At the end of an error-strewn first set, Watson needed medical attention, and was in clear distress with breathing and back pain. She took treatment on the court, and seemed to rally for a short while in the second set, but just when it looked set to go to a tie-break, the Dutch woman got the key break and Watson was unable to respond, 6-2, 7-5.
She had made 38 errors to 15 winners in the hour and three-quarters, and left the court still in obvious pain, which she explained afterwards was the result of illness.
“It was horrible to play. I was very ill today. I’ve had a fever for the last three days but playing in this heat is almost impossible when you feel that bad. I was struggling to breathe and then my back—I don’t really know what it is, but I’ve been to see the doctor. I’m going to get some blood tests done and figure out what it was.
“Near the end of that second set, I was just trying to stand up let alone play. But I don’t want to take anything away from my opponent, I thought she played well.”
Asked if the symptoms seemed similar to the glandular fever she suffered in 2013, she admitted they did, but would not know the diagnosis until after her test results. Meanwhile, she remains in the doubles draw.
It is the sixth year in a row that Watson has failed to reach the second round, but there were higher hopes of Laura Robson, who made the fourth round here as a teenager before persistent and long-term wrist injury interrupted her tennis.
Now making her way back to form, she came through qualifying to face, as ill fortune would have it, the fourth British woman in the draw, Naomi Broady.
Elsewhere, No29 seed Ana Ivanovic was put out by Denisa Allertova , 7-6, 6-1, and No23 seed Daria Kasatkina was beaten by Qiang Wang, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. No5 seed Simona Halep, however, cruised past Kirsten Flipkens, 6-0, 6-2.