- Pair overcome overmatched opponents in straight sets
- Best showing by British players at US Open since 1981
It took just a few fleeting points of the first-round match between Cameron Norrie and Benoît Paire for it to become clear that the French player was in one of his moods. He shanked forehands into the back fence, then he dumped backhands into the bottom of the net. He had only just arrived, yet he looked determined to get off the court as quickly as possible.
There were other times, though, when Paire played fairly well. In the midst of the chaos on the other side of the net, Norrie handled himself as he always does. Remaining steady, solid and composed, he moved on to the second round with a good first performance, defeating Paire 6-0, 7-6 (1), 6-0.