Stefanos Tsitsipas was stunned in the first round of the US Open on Monday after the fourth seed lost to Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan 6-0 6-1 3-6 7-5.
Tsitsipas, 24, was one of five players who could have ended the season's fourth and final Grand Slam as the men's world No 1 but he appeared hampered by an arm injury against Galan, who won the first 11 games and held off an apparent fightback to seal victory on his ninth match point.
Tsitsipas had a physio tend to his right arm before the sixth game in the second set, when he finally got on the board, and again during the break before the third set, when he broke Galan in the second game.
The Greek, who has never got past the third round in New York and had hoped to do better this year after reaching the Cincinnati final, dropped only four of his first-serve points in the third set and looked as though he had the momentum when he broke Galan again in the opening game of the fourth set.
But the Colombian world No 94, playing in the main draw for the first time, never lost his composure, sending across 41 winners throughout the match and refusing to give into his heavily favoured opponent.
"I just stayed calm. I lost the (third) set but I felt I was doing better and better," said Galan.
Dripping with sweat and with the crowd inside Louis Armstrong Stadium egging them on, Galan nearly broke Tsitsipas for the match five times in the 10th game of the fourth set, and finally got the job done in the 12th, gazing at the stands with disbelief.
"I can't explain how I feel right now," he said after the match. "I went through the match well."
Galan next faces Jordan Thompson in the second round after the Australian fought back from two sets down to defeat Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 2-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
There were no such concerns for world No 1 Daniil Medvedev, who began his title defence with a comfortable 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 win over American Stefan Kozlov in sweltering conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Russian had an inconsistent run-up to Flushing Meadows but was back to top form on the court where he won his maiden Grand Slam title a year ago, sending across 10 aces and neutralising Kozlov's serve.
"Most pleased to win first of all ... not easy conditions," said Medvedev, who repeatedly wrapped an ice towel around his neck to keep cool in the humid, 85-degree Fahrenheit (29.4 Celsius) conditions. "Serve was quite the key today."
While some struggle with the pressure of being a defending champion, Medvedev is relishing the challenge. The 26-year-old was beaten by Nick Kyrgios in his opening match at the Canadian Masters but reached the Cincinnati semi-final earlier this month.
"I know that I want to play well and if I don't do it, I will not care that I won it last year, I will just be disappointed that this year didn't work out my way," said Medvedev, who faces Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the second round.
"I remember last year were some crazy matches. I mean, to be honest, all of them were really high level from me. That's what I want to continue doing this year."
Former champion Andy Murray is also safely through to the second round following his 7-5 6-3 6-3 win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, as the former world No 1 rolled back the years at the scene of his first Grand Slam triumph a decade ago.
The 35-year-old Scot, who has battled various injuries in recent years, raced to a 5-2 lead early in the match but dropped his level slightly before edging a tight first set and breaking quickly in the next to put 24th seed Cerundolo under pressure on a sweltering hot Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
"It is obviously nice any time, especially in those conditions and early on in a slam to get through in straight sets," said Murray. "He's a top player, it was a good win for me.
"Mentally it's not easy going into a five-set match in those conditions after the way the last few weeks have been for me, and I did well.
"I did well physically and mentally to put that to the back of my mind and find a way to get through."
The three-time Grand Slam champion takes on American Emilio Nava inn the second round.
Elsewhere in the men's draw, 2020 champion Dominic Thiem's return to the US Open ended in defeat to Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta. The Austrian former world No 3, who has been battling a long-term wrist injury and missed last year's title defence, was defeated 7-5, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.
In the day's final match, Kyrgios defeated close friend and Australian Open doubles title-winning partner Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets, the 23rd seed coming through 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
