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Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka won their first round matches. Coco Gauff lost. And the pandemic-era atmosphere was decidedly bizarre.
Ben RothenbergChristopher ClareyMatt Futterman and
Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the Saturday final of the Western & Southern Open with a hamstring injury, prevailed in the last match at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night, beating Misaki Doi 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Osaka, the 2018 U.S. Open champion who is seeded fourth this year, dominated the match with her serve, hitting six aces and winning 76 percent of points on her first serve compared to the 55 percent won on first serve by Doi.
Osaka prompted the stoppage of play last Thursday as she joined protests from other athletes around North America. On Monday night, she wore a mask with the name of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was killed by police in Kentucky.
Osaka next faces hard-hitting Camila Giorgi in the second round.
No. 16 seed John Isner, the highest-ranked American man, fell out of the U.S. Open in the first round, losing to fellow American Steve Johnson, who is ranked 64th, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (3).
The two friends greeted each other at the net with a protocol-bending handshake, albeit hesitantly, after a match that lasted nearly four hours at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
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