New York (AFP)

Richard Gasquet, who came full of confidence to Flushing Meadows, was eliminated from entry Tuesday on the second day of the US Open which was fatal to four players in the Top 10 ATP.

On the women's side, defending champion Naomi Osaka, whose world throne is in the game in the past two weeks, was badly beaten by Anna Blinkova of Russia (84), but qualified 6-4, 6- 7 (5/7), 6-2.

On the contrary, the 2017 winner Sloane Stephens has surrendered to Russian Anna Kalinskaya, 127th in the world and qualifying, 6-3, 6-4.

For Gasquet, the course New York has stopped 2h43 after starting.

The 33-year-old Frenchman took a set from his opponent, but the Italian Matteo Berrettini was far too strong and won 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

"He's playing well, very well, it's not easy, he's been serving really hard, he can put you very far from the ball with a forehand, which he did on the first two sets," he said. Gasquet, who arrived at Flushing Meadows after having reached his first semifinal in Masters 1000 in Cincinnati since 2013.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also lost his feeling that he played well: "I'm disappointed, sad, because I had a good match, but I do not have much to blame myself for," he said. analyzed after its elimination by American Tennys Sandgren (72nd) 1-6, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5.

- Cornet launches the day -

Alizé Cornet (64) had launched the day of the French clan by easily dismissing the American Jessica Pegula (58), 6-2, 6-3.

"I had not won a Grand Slam game since Australia so it's nice," said the 29-year-old.

If Benoît Paire and Gaël Monfils easily qualified, it was otherwise Gilles Simon who led as usual a long fight, this time against the American Bjorn Fratangelo (117th worldwide and beneficiary of a wild card ). It took 4:19 to win 5-7, 7-5, 7-5, 7-5.

Meanwhile, on court Louis-Armstrong, the name of his next opponent was decided: Tsitsipas (8th) and Rublev (43rd) fought a very high level, especially for a first round.

And it was the Russian who qualified 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 after 3:54 of play.

Both men went to the end of their forces. But it is the Greek who has been the most diminished by cramps, in the right leg. He even chose to extend his rest time during a change of side, even to provoke the referee.

- "Give me a warning" -

"Give me a warning, I do not care!" threw Tsitsipas to the chair judge ... who actually gave him a penalty point.

"I too had cramps, but I did not show it," said Rublev.

In total, the day was fatal to four players in the world Top 10: Dominic Thiem (4th), weakened by a virus, Stefanos Tsitsipas (8th), Karen Khachanov (9th) and Roberto Bautista Agut (10th).

Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, did not lag behind: the N.2 world dismissed unceremoniously (6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in 2:08) the Australian John Millman (60) who had dropped Roger Federer l last year in the 8th finals.

"The beginnings in a tournament are always difficult, so for a first game, it was good," Nadal satisfied.

"I may have made more mistakes in forehand than usual," he said. He committed 19 and 9 others in reverse.

Spectators who hoped to see sparks between the two rough diamonds of Canadian tennis Felix Auger-Aliassime (19th at 19 years old) and Denis Shapovalov (33rd at 20) may have emerged a little frustrated with the Grandstand as the second corrected the first, 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 in just 1h38.

At midnight, the tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios scampered the Louis Armstrong court against Steve Johnson.

© 2019 AFP