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Berlin.- Carlos Alcaraz has surrendered the No 1 world ranking but got his US Open title defence off to an easy start as injured German Dominik Koepfer retired against the 20-year-old top seed on Tuesday.
The season’s final Grand Slam began on Monday with a change at the top after Novak Djokovic demolished Frenchman Alexandre Muller to ease into the second round – a result that meant the Serb will replace Alcaraz as world No 1 when the rankings are updated on September 11.
But Alcaraz will have the No 1 attached to his name for the duration of the Flushing Meadows fortnight and advanced to the second round after Koepfer twisted his ankle minutes into the match and later retired with the Spaniard up 6-2 3-2.
Alcaraz, bidding to become the first man to retain his US Open crown since Roger Federer won five straight from 2004 to 2008, appeared unsteady at times on the North American hardcourts ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam but kept his composure on Tuesday with few errors. — SuperSport.
Online Reporter