Photo: Thomas Guenther
Despite showcasing impressive spirit and occasional flashes of brilliance, Marcos lost in the first round at the US Open against experienced Frenchman Arnaud Clement, 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5, in 3 hours and 27 minutes. This brought to an abrupt end Marcos’ brilliant form in the pre-tournament US Open series.
Marcos was slow to find his rhythm in the searing New York heat and this allowed Clement to capitalise, play aggressive tennis, and win the first set. In a five-set match, Marcos always had time on his side, and he really stepped up his level of play midway through the second set. His upturn in standard and rapid accumulation of games coincided with a better first serve percentage and finding the range on the forehand side.
Marcos was moving incredibly well in the heat and benefitting from an increased number of unforced errors from Clement. When Marcos clinched the third set 6-1 with apparent ease, it seemed as though he would close out the match and reach the second round. However, Clement rallied in the fourth set, and despite some scintillating passing shots from Marcos in an attempt to wrest back the initiative, Clement closed out the set 6-4.
The players continued to play with an admirable high intensity as the match clock ticked over 180 minutes, but signs of mental and physical tiring began to show as the players exchanged breaks early in the final set. Marcos refused to roll over and repeatedly came from behind in his service games to stay level with his opponent. Nevertheless, the disadvantage of serving second was too much for Marcos, and he was eventually broken when serving at 5-6.
