Cameron Norrie has beaten Benoit Paire 6-0 7-6(1) 6-0 in a strange first-round clash at the US Open, where the Frenchman at times appeared not to be making maximum effort.
The first set was all one-way traffic, as the seventh-seeded Briton took advantage of Paire's errors to bagel him in just 18 minutes.
Paire stepped up his game in the second set, when play was briefly halted amid sweltering conditions for a fan requiring medical attention, and he even had a chance to level the match, when he served leading 5-3.
But the veteran could not capitalise, and was broken in the next game and out gunned in the one-sided tiebreak.
The final set lasted just 15 minutes, as Paire appeared content to make his exit from the tournament.
"It's tricky, especially with how Benoit plays," Norrie said. "Because he looks like he's not really there and he can come up with a few good shots and a few big returns.
"In that third set, he was love-30 a couple times, 15-30 and that's when he's very dangerous. I think he's an exciting player to watch and he's a really nice guy."
He added: "It's unfortunate, I think he played a little bit too quick and at the end of the day, I went out and did my job."
Baseline specialist Norrie was bounced out of the last year's final Grand Slam in the first round and has never made it past the third round at Flushing Meadows, but he has enjoyed success on American hardcourts, winning at Indian Wells in 2021 and claiming the Delray Beach title in February.
Norrie, who improved his win-loss record to 42-19 for the year, will next face Portuguese Joao Sousa, who came out on top in a rollercoaster match against American Mackenzie McDonald, winning 1-6 7-6(4)7-6(4) 6-3.
Third seed Carlos Alcaraz reached the second round, after an injury forced Argentine opponent Sebastian Baez to retire, with the Spaniard leading 7-5 7-5 2-0 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The pair were evenly matched in the first set, with Alcaraz, 19, getting the break in the last game, before hot and humid conditions tested both opponents in the second set.
Alcaraz, who became the youngest man to reach the Flushing Meadows quarter-finals a year ago, was not at his best, as he produced 28 unforced errors in the 84-minute set, trading breaks with Baez twice, before again getting the pivotal break in the final game.
Baez had a physio tend to his left leg before the third set, but was unable to carry on, pulling up short and clutching his thigh, as Alcaraz knocked a forehand winner across the net in the second game.
"I think both players and all of you don't deserve [an end] like this," Alcaraz told the crowd. "Sebastian is a great player, he fights until the last ball."
The Roland Garros quarter-finalist is among the favourites at the year's final major, after picking up titles in Miami and Madrid, and was clearly appreciating his return to New York.
"I remember, last year, it was one of the best moments of my life," he said. "One year later, being four in the world is something special for me."
Reuters
