U.S. Open Day 1 After Dark: Djokovic wins, Keys survives, Sock outlasts Fritz

Get all of the must-know results, storylines, news and more from Night 1 at the 2016 U.S. Open.

Author:
Stanley Kay
Publish date:
Aug 29, 2016

NEW YORK - A recap of the opening Monday night's action at the 2016 U.S. Open, including results, tweets, hot shots, photos and more.

Madison Keys survived a strong upset bid from Alison Riske during Monday's U.S. Open night session, pulling out a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 win to cap the tournament's opening day.

Keys, the world No. 9, overcame her American compatriot despite receiving attention on her shoulder throughout the match.

On the men's side, defending men's singles champion Novak Djokovic advanced to the second round, beating Jerzy Janowicz in four sets.

It wasn't easy for the world No. 1, who appeared to experience discomfort near his right elbow during parts of the match.

Elsewhere, No. 5 seed Milos Raonic blew past Dustin Brown in straight sets, while American Jack Sock beat compatriot Taylor Fritz in five sets. Read more about Monday evening's matches below.

For complete day session news and results, see SI.com's Day 1 recap.

Results Roundup

No. 8 Madison Keys d. Alison Riske: The final match of Monday's night session ended at 1:48 a.m. ET, making it the latest finish of a women's match in U.S. Open history. Despite some issues with her shoulder—she received treatment throughout the match—Madison Keys pulled out a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 victory over Alison Riske. Keys will play Kayla Day in the second round.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic d. Jerzy Janowicz: The summer of 2016 has been a slightly weird one for Novak Djokovic. He started by winning the French Open, which isn't really weird at all save for the fact that he hadn't previously won a title at Roland Garros. Then he lost in the third round of Wimbledon to Sam Querrey. After winning the Rogers Cup, he lost in the opening round of Rio 2016 to Juan Martin del Potro.

So what I'm saying is that the summer of 2016 has been weird for Djokovic because he lost two singles matches. Yes, two. Everybody panic! Or don't—but maybe a little. Djokovic was shaky at times during his 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jerzy Janowicz. He seemed to experience some discomfort with his right elbow at times, which probably contributed to his losing the second set. But the world No. 1 still prevailed, and he'll meet Jiri Vesely in the second round.

"It's getting better and better each day," Djokovic said of his physical status. "I'm glad that I'm experiencing that. So hopefully as the tournament progresses, I'll reach my peak."

He said the treatment he received during the match on his arm was "just prevention."

No. 26 Jack Sock d. Taylor Fritz: The second installment of Young American vs. Older American was wild. Earlier on Monday, veteran John Isner came back to beat upstart Frances Tiafoe in five sets. Later, under the lights on Armstrong, two Americans again played five sets, with a bit of a different narrative: Jack Sock went up two sets to love before Taylor Fritz stormed back. Sock turned his game around in the fifth set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead before Fritz rallied again. He broke Sock at 3-5, but Fritz failed to hold serve at 4-5. And so for the second time this year, Jack Sock knocked Taylor Fritz out of a Grand Slam event. The final score: 7-6(3), 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4.

No. 5 Milos Raonic d. Dustin Brown: The Wimbledon runner-up was picked to win this year's U.S. Open by two of SI's esteemed experts (including yours truly), and Raonic hasn't let us down yet. The No. 5 seed earned a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dustin Brown. Raonic's power was on full display, as the Canadian racked up 15 aces and 41 winners to oust Brown.

"I would have wished to play better, but it's not the goal to be playing my best tennis in the first round," Raonic said. "It's about getting through and giving myself a chance to get better in the next round."

Next up for Raonic is qualifier Ryan Harrison.

No. 13 Johanna Konta d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands: Not a great day for Rio 2016 gold medalists. After Monica Puig crashed out of the tournament, Rio mixed doubles gold medalist BethanieMattek-Sands followed suit with a straight sets loss to Johanna Konta. The 25-year-old Brit, who made her first U.S. Open fourth round last year, earned a 6-3, 6-3 victory over her American opponent.

No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d. Guido Andreozzi: Tsonga made his second U.S. Open quarterfinal last year, and his 2016 campaign is off to a good start. The Frenchman earned a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andreozzi in just under two hours on Monday. One key stat: Tsonga won 95% of points in which he put his first serve in play (42 of 44). Incroyable.