Yahoo Sports 
Vasek Pospisil posts a welcome win to advance to the second round at the US Open
NEW YORK – If Vasek Pospisil’s major post-victory celebration Monday at the US Open seemed a little over the top after a first round, there’s a back story.
Routine first-round victories – victories, period – have been rare gems for the 26-year-old Canadian this season. The 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Josef Kovalik of Slovakia, a lucky loser ranked No. 126, was Pospisil’s first in a best-of-five set match since his surprise run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July 2015.
That’s a full round of all four Grand Slam tournaments without a singles victory to show for it, And Pospisil was even more pleased with his effort, desire and execution than he was with the final score.
“I played much better than I’ve been playing, regardless of who my opponent was. I’ve played some weaker opponents and didn’t play anything close to the level I played today,” Pospisil said. “Today was honestly just kind the way I’ve been playing the last three years, just kind of my level, not like I was playing something incredible. But it was nice to play well again, for a change.”
The win took a 6-21 won-loss record this season and improved it, just a little. It also gives Pospisil a chance to advance further in the final Grand Slam of the season as he faces big-serving Kevin Anderson of South Africa in the second round Wednesday.
How many matches had Pospisil gotten through in 2016 without the pain of another bad loss or the fraught nerves of three-set drama and tight tiebreakers?
One: a 6-1, 6-4 win over Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia in his opening match at the Nottingham grass warm-up tournament before Wimbledon.
Every single other match this season seemed to be a mighty struggle in one way or another.
“I’m a competitor. I hate losing and I love trying to find ways to win and being on the court. And that hadn’t been the case these past few months,” Pospisil said.
Speaking to Eh Game Sunday, Pospisil said he was starting to feel like his old self on the court over the last few days. But it’s one thing to say it, another for it actually to be. And it turns out he wasn’t just trying to convince himself.
“I just felt like I played a great match. More than the win, what was more important to me today was that I felt I found my identity, found myself again on the court,” he said. “I played with great energy and fighting for every point. I just had the right mentality, and I was lacking that most of this year.”
There wasn’t much Pospisil didn’t do well against Kovalik, who is ranked near his career high and is a solid player, if one without any big weapons.
Pospisil served really well, hit some huge forehands, went 5-for-8 on break point chances and 15-for-17 at the net.
Even better, it took just an hour and 35 minutes for the three sets, a good energy saver before his second-round encounter with Anderson.
The old Grandstand was supposed to be a practice court this year with the addition of the brand new Grandstand on the other side of the complex. But after issues with the surface on Court No. 10 appeared, it was put back into use.
The intimate court, which has a lot of tradition and history to it, is bathed in sunshine early in the day but because it’s attached to Louis Armstrong Stadium, ends up in the shadow of the bigger arena by late afternoon.
The length of the previous match meant that Pospisil, who struggles with the heat but mostly with the humidity, could play in the shade. That was a big help.
It was steaming hot – many players had issues Monday – but the humidity was at about 35 per cent. So everything fell into place, for a change.
“I like when the fans are close and when there’s a good atmosphere. Today I was very pleased, surprised, the crowd support was pretty amazing. I kind of a owe little bit of that positive energy that I felt on the court to the crowd, for sure,” Pospisil said. “But I came into the match focused and I knew that from point one today I wanted to show that fight and be resilient. I felt like I did that quite well.”
