Injury-hit Prajnesh no match for Medvedev

NEW YORK: Prajnesh Gunneswaran wobbled early in the match before bowing to the fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 1-6, 2-6 in the first round of the US Open.
Briefly in the opening set, until he sprained his ankle in the fifth game, the left-hander showed flashes of his potential, pushing the hottest player in the men's draw. He asked questions of the spindly Medvedev, who came up with the shots at the storied Louis Armstrong stadium on Monday afternoon.
Both players had 20 winners apiece, but the Indian had 36 unforced errors in the 85-minute encounter. "I twisted my ankle at 2-all in the opening set and that was that," the 29-year-old Gunneswaran, who limped into the pressroom, said. "It isn't really bad, but it was bad enough. I could move, but I couldn't change direction. If I was able to read the serve or return I was okay.
"The first set was relatively close. I still had some chances," the Chennai-based pro, who was broken in the opening game of the match played in windy conditions, said. "If not for losing those two service games, it would've been a good set. After that I started to go for more because I couldn't really defend."
Medvedev, who is playing the best tennis of his career, said he noticed the Indian was in pain in the opening essay. "I saw something. I ask him if he was okay, he said, yes," the 23-yearold Russian said. "I don't know exactly what happened, but he seemed to be painful with his ankle a little bit."
To add to the India No.1's woes, the Russian upped his level in the second and third sets, especially on his serve, where he won 84 per cent of the points on his first delivery. "Plus he was playing smart, knowing where to put the ball," Gunneswaran said.
The Indian came into the match looking to embrace the challenge. "I was excited to be playing on this court, excited at the opportunity to play someone who is No. 5 in the world," Gunneswaran said. "I was happy with the way I was playing, things looked good at that stage in the first set. I had a certain amount of confidence. I felt like I had the tools to hurt him."
The Russian added, "His level is top-50 for sure. But after his level dropped it was two easy sets for me."