Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka was defeated by Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 Monday in their men's singles first round match at the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of 2022.
Nishioka, currently ranked 55th in the world, was unable to emulate the form that carried him to the Citi Open final earlier this month, suffering a straight sets loss at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
"My opponent played well. I knew I was handed a tough (first-round) draw. I went in with a game plan but he kept his composure," said Nishioka, who won just 57 percent of his first-serve points compared to Fokina's 81.
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"My tennis wasn't bad. I thought I could beat about 70 percent of the players here but I got unlucky with my first-round opponent," he said.
It is the third straight year the 26-year-old Japanese has made a first-round exit at the U.S. Open. He was making his eighth appearance at the Grand Slam in New York and facing Fokina for the first time.
