Murray and Wozniacki channel past glories with opening US Open victories

By Oli Dickson Jefford, Sportsbeat

Andy Murray has not been accustomed to straightforward Grand Slam matches in recent times, something that makes the start of his US Open campaign even more remarkable.

Ask someone to talk about Murray’s post-hip injury career and the chances are that they’ll bring up a range of Slam epics, ranging from sweet victories to painful defeats.

There have been highs of Australian Open wins over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis earlier this year, to the lows of two agonising losses to Stefanos Tsitsipas, at Wimbledon this year and at the US Open back in 2021.

Fast forward 24 months from that dramatic - and at times controversial - loss to the Greek at Flushing Meadows, where Murray again proved he can push the very best on his day, the 36-year-old’s hunger and passion remain undimmed.

It is a testament to his character that he was close to being seeded in New York, though the draw god’s were kind to him on this occasion, a highly winnable round one versus Corentin Moutet awaiting.

And while a three-hour contest may not be the quickest affair on paper, for Murray such a match may feel like a stroll in Central Park - especially when you’re on the right side of the scoreline.

A 6-2 7-5 6-3 triumph over the Frenchman was one of the Scot’s most convincing major wins of recent times, and is also one of his most significant; a 200th victory at Grand Slam tournaments.

Only eight men have won more and it is impossible not to admire him for continuing to rack up win after win, even if one last significant hurrah looks unlikely.

"I'm at my highest ranking since I had the metal hip put in so I'm happy with that," said Murray. "It's not been an easy journey and obviously I'd like to be ranked higher.

"This is the best I've played consistently since probably 2017. I'm happy to still be going and progressing and hoping I can push my ranking up."

Murray had no way of avoiding a seed for too long in New York, though, and he comes up against a higher-ranked opponent next, familiar opposition in the form of 19th seed Grigor Dimitrov.

Dimitrov has not scaled the heights of Murray but an accumulation of two Grand Slam semi-finals, an ATP Finals title and a career-high of third is no mean feat in this or in any era.

Murray dropped just five games in their previous Flushing Meadows encounter and comfortably leads their head-to-head 8-3, though it may take some time for them to get reacquainted come Thursday.

It has been almost seven years since they stepped onto court against each other and while many will back the former world No.1, there can be no guarantees at this stage of his career.

But before Murray and Dimitrov deliver their own slice of rose-tinted nostalgia, two modern greats of the game renew their rivalry in the women’s draw.

In the early hours of tomorrow morning Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova will face off for the 15th time, the former looking to pick up the biggest victory of her comeback so far.

Wozniacki’s return to the game is not exactly the same as Murray’s return from hip resurfacing, but is it just as remarkable.

At the 2020 Australian Open, she called time on her career aged only 29 - and just two years after her sole Slam triumph Down Under - saying she was unable to deal with the demands of tour life after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2018.

But this summer - after welcoming daughter Olivia in 2021, and son James in 2022 - the Dane announced a surprising comeback, aiming to be the latest in a string of WTA mums to thrive after returning to court.

Victory against Kimberly Birrell on her return in Montreal demonstrated an initial solid base level, and that has now been backed up by a first major match win over 40 months.

A two-time finalist at the US Open, Wozniacki was handed a favourable draw against qualifier Tatiana Prozorova and took full advantage of that, claiming a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 win.

It doesn’t get any easier next against Kvitova though who, alongside Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka, is one of the leading players of their generation.

The Czech is in the middle of her best season since 2019, significant titles in Miami and Berlin proving that she can still take on and beat the very best on her day.

Flushing Meadows is statistically her worst Slam - something that may encourage Wozniacki - but the 11th seed looked largely in control in a 6-1 7-6(5) win over Cristina Bucsa in round one.

A two-time Wimbledon champion in her prime, Kvitova is favoured in this match-up and leads the head-to-head 8-6, but the fact that Wozniacki has had a solid level of success against someone that should easily outhit her shows this is no foregone conclusion.

“I think she didn't have any idea that she was potentially playing against me either,” said Wozniacki, who revealed she had spoken with Kvitova before the tournament.

“We've been around for a long time. We've played each other many times. I think at the end of the day we're just out there to do our best and compete. Hopefully it's going to be a great match."

This will be the first meeting between them since the WTA Finals 2018 and, much like Murray and Dimitrov, throws back to an era that many fans already look back on fondly, even if it was comparatively not that long ago.

A new generation, spearheaded by Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, may be higher ranked and more likely to take the title, but it is two old rivalries that most eyes are on in round two.