New roof gathers attention
Arthur Ashe Stadium's new roof has made its world premiere. As Phil Collins sang the first notes of "In the Air Tonight" during the U.S. Open's opening ceremony Monday night, the two retractable panels began to slide apart. less than five minutes later, just after the song had ended, they had fully opened to reveal a hazy sky. Many fans' eyes and smartphones pointed upward instead of at the on-court stage as Collins performed. He was later joined by "Hamilton" original cast member leslie Odom Jr. There was no rain Monday to formally test the $150 million roof, but it still got a workout as part of the opening festivities. Officials closed it after the day session.
Gold medallist Monica loses
Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig has lost in the first round of the US Open.The 32nd-seeded Puig was upset by 61st-ranked Zheng Saisai 6-4, 6-2 on Monday. Puig had insisted on Saturday that she was mentally ready for the year's final major after the whirlwind of the past couple of weeks, when she stunningly beat three Grand Slam champions to become Puerto Rico's first gold medalist and was feted at a parade on the island. Still, she recognized it was quite possible her US Open trip wouldn't go well, reminding herself that she's just 22 years old. She's now 1-3 at Flushing Meadows.
Present survives from future
In a matchup of American tennis present and future, 31-year-old John Isner rallied from down two sets to edge 18-year-old Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the US Open. The 125th-ranked Tiafoe had a chance to serve out the match in the fifth set Monday, but Isner broke back then pulled away in the final tiebreaker to win 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3) in 3 hours, 27 minutes. It was just the second career comeback from two sets down for Isner. Tiafoe had never before played a five-set match. The 20th-seeded Isner has finished each of the last four years as the top-ranked US man and has now won 11 straight Grand Slam first-round matches.
‘Heat caused breathing trouble'
French Open champ Garbine Muguruza says she thinks the heat caused her to have trouble breathing early in her US Open first-round match. The third-seeded Spaniard had to call for the trainer after dropping the first set to Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens with temperatures in the low 90s. Muguruza said after Monday's three-set victory that she had forgotten there were towels with ice available to cool off during changeovers. She also was able to relax more, which helped. Muguruza says she had some trouble breathing in practice a couple of days earlier as well. The conditions reminded her of the Australian Open, though she never remembered it being this uncomfortable in New York.