US Open 2013: Five players who flattered to deceive in the first week

2013 US Open - Day 5

Sports is where script remains unrehearsed and unchoreographed. Naturally, sometimes the script will deviate from following the expected and conventional way. And there arise the shocks and the disappointments that reverberate through the sports fraternity.

The 2013 US Open, too, hasn’t been an exception. So far, we have witnessed quite a few bewildering moments laced with sadness when some of the in-form players have taken the shocking route of early departure from the year’s last Grand Slam. Let us have a look at five of those players who bid adieu as early as the first week.

Juan Martin del Potro

The towering Argentine had been exuding glimpses of his thundering Slam-winning form throughout the year and at Wimbledon, it all came alive. He battled hyper-extension of the knee and was even close to quitting numerous times but the insatiable desire to fight never left him. And so the World No. 6 and the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic orchestrated one of the finest and most dramatic acts of the entire fortnight at the All England Club.

That was an early marker for the 2009 US Open champion to be counted as one of the contenders for the Open. And he continued to sparkle on the US Open Series too, capturing his third crown at Washington and reaching the semi-finals at Cincinnati.

When the US Open draw came out, fans were sent into delirious joy on seeing the same two names – Del Potro and Djokovic possibly crossing swords in the quarter-finals and this time on their favoured hardcourts.

But Lleyton Hewitt had other ideas. The gritty 32-year-old rolled back the years to oust the Tandil-native in a dramatic five-setter where Del Potro, who was suffering from a wrist niggle, simply wilted away in the decider.

John Isner (and the American men)

2013 U.S. Open - Day 6

John Isner, the only American in the top 20, traditionally thrives on these hardcourts. And given the drought American men’s tennis has been facing, hopes had rested on the 28-year-old to carry the torch forward at this Open.

After all, Isner had been coming off a sizzling summer in the lead-up to the US Open. A title at Atlanta and a final the following week at Washington – the 6’10’’ John Isner looked to be soaring with confidence. And he only surged from there. At Cincinnati, he stunned Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro and looked unstoppable until he locked horns with the imperious Rafa Nadal.

A similar meeting looked impending in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. But Isner found it hard to surmount the barrier that he failed to penetrate last year too – Philipp Kohlschreiber. The German dwarfed him in four sets and Isner looked visibly fatigued and ridiculously short of motivation.

John Isner’s ouster was followed by Tim Smyczek’s departure which left American men’s tennis reeling from the shock of having no American man in the Round of 16 of the US Open for the first time in the Open Era.

Ernests Gulbis

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Mercurial and unpredictable – these are probably the first two words that come to one’s mind while describing the Latvian Ernests Gulbis. And in his first round match at the US Open, the 25-year-old lived true to his form.

The 30th-seeded player had been in the news for most of the year with his resurgent performances and his headline grabbing comments. Gulbis was said to have put all his focus and energy back into tennis and the results were coming thick and fast. After grabbing the Delray Beach crown and playing Rafa Nadal tough, Gulbis arrived on the American hardcourts to do some serious damage. And he proved his worth by ousting a listless Andy Murray at Montreal.

With David Ferrer fumbling and stumbling a bit on the hardcourts, Ernests Gulbis had been many peoples’ pick for their dark horse of the tournament.

Never one to rely on, Gulbis just washed away all those hopes by crashing out in the very first round to Andreas Haider-Maurier, who had won only two Tour-level matches before the US Open.

Petra Kvitova

2013 U.S. Open - Day 6

After struggling for most of the year and with only one title to boast of, Petra Kvitova seemed to have finally struck the right chord right before the US Open when she made it to the final of the New Haven Open. But unfortunately, health proved to be the bane for the 23-year-old Czech.

She looked deprived of energy in her third round match against American grasscourt specialist and wildcard Alison Riske and it was startling to see her manage only three games.

After the match the World No. 10 confirmed that she was suffering from a virus and couldn’t even practise the day before. “I had a blood test to see if it was bacteria and virus, and it was virus,” Kvitova said. “I mean, I didn’t have any sore throat or anything like that. I had just a very high fever.”

Unluckily, Kvitova’s health came in her way during her Wimbledon campaign too. Hoping the 2011 Wimbledon champion gets fitter and we get to see her with her full competitive spirit soon.

Samantha Stosur

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Sam Stosur continues to flatter to deceive. Just when it was thought the veteran Aussie was stringing together all parts of her game to put up a fine show at New York, she astonishingly made a first round exit to a relatively inexperienced teenager Victoria Duval.

Flushing Meadows had been the foundation of some of her most enthralling performances in her whole career and for the last three years, the Aussie hadn’t lost before the quarter-finals.

With a smashing display at Carlsbad where she bludgeoned Victoria Azarenka, the 2011 US Open champion looked all set to saunter through the rounds with style and panache.

But Stosur met her worst demons as she let a healthy lead slip away and her US Open campaign came to a stuttering halt on the back of 56 unforced errors.