Source : ABC NEWS
Making a US Open debut as a teenager is a daunting task, but American Thea Frodin is no stranger to the bright lights.
The 17-year-old played at her home slam for the first time, going down in straight sets to world number two Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-2.
There were plenty of fans at Grandstand who were there to see Rybakina, this year’s Australian Open champion, but Frodin was a mini-celebrity in her own right.
Frodin, from California, was a body double at the age of 12 in the 2021 film King Richard, a movie starring Will Smith about the rise of Serena and Venus Williams with the help of their father, Richard Williams.
Fordin was the body double for actor Demi Singleton, who played Serena in the film, and is now forging her own path at Flushing Meadows.
There was no Hollywood screenwriting for Fordin’s debut, with Rybakina never troubled in the win that came after a near three-hour rain delay.
Fordin was not disgraced in the straight-sets defeat. Down 1-5 in the second set, the teenager fired four aces, saving three match points, to extend the match just one extra game.
“She played really well today, and she has great shots,” Rybakina said of her teenage opponent.
Fifth seed comes from behind to avoid another US Open boilover
Italian fifth seed Flavio Cobolli has rallied from two sets down to win his first-round match at the US Open, avoiding another early upset on the men’s side.
Flavio Cobolli needed more than four hours, and five sets, to make it to the US Open second round. (Getty Images: Julian Finney)
The French Open runner-up beat Francisco Comesana 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, finishing his match that lasted 4 hours, 12 minutes, not long after some sun had broken through the clouds and allowed play to start on all the outside courts after a morning of rain.
Cobolli made his first career two-set comeback to avoid joining Novak Djokovic (fourth seed) and Arthur Fils (10th seed) among early losers in a men’s draw that was already missing top-ranked Jannik Sinner due to injury.
Cobolli said he took a bathroom break after the second set and decided to change everything.
“So I changed all the dress that I started with today and it works,” Cobolli said.
“In grand slams it’s never done. You have to fight until the last point.”
Ninth seed Taylor Fritz, the 2024 runner-up, rolled to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over 18-year-old fellow American Darwin Blanch.
Madison Keys was the only other player to move into the second round early in a tournament where rain threatened to hamper the schedule for a couple of days.
Showers that began Monday night, local time, and could be on and off through the middle of the week delayed play on all the outer courts, allowing action only in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, which have retractable roofs.
Keys, the 22nd seed, beat 19-year-old Alina Korneeva 7-5, 6-4 in the leadoff match in Ashe. The 2017 US Open runner-up was knocked off in the first round last year in Flushing Meadows.
“It’s always tough playing someone young and up-and-coming, and they’re going after their shots,” Keys said.
“And it’s so hard to play a first round of a Grand Slam, so nervous and just wanting to do so well. So, really happy I was able to kind of fight through that and win today.”
Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, 17th seed Alex Eala, and men’s first seed Alexander Zverev are scheduled to play later on the final night of round one matches.
ABC/AP
