Fish Gives Way to Spaniard and the Heat and Heads Into Retirement

Mardy Fish could barely walk by the end. As his match against Feliciano Lopez and his career as a professional tennis player hobbled toward the finish, Fish hopped on his left leg as his right hamstring cramped in the midday heat.

He had been so close to a second-round victory at the U.S. Open, so close to advancing in a tournament that he had pledged would be his last. After years spent coping with health problems, Fish hoped to savor his final Open experience. But his legs ultimately gave out on him Wednesday in a 2-6, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 loss to the 18th-seeded Lopez, a Spaniard.

"I worked as hard as I could," Fish said. "That was all I had."

The heat was a factor once again at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as play shifted to the second round. On the women's side, three Americans - Madison Keys, Madison Brengle and Bethanie Mattek-Sands - handled the weather by winning in straight sets, all three advancing to the third round of the U.S. Open for the first time in their careers.

Marin Cilic, the defending champion and the No. 9 seed, won his second-round match against Evgeny Donskoy, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, while No. 10 Milos Raonic beat the humidity to defeat Fernando Verdasco, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1).

Fish, 33, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 7 in 2011, wanted to play his final match in Queens. He had played sparingly since his last appearance, in 2012, when he began to experience the symptoms of extreme anxiety disorder.

Fish withdrew from the tournament that year before a fourth-round match against Roger Federer and then pretty much disappeared from tennis as he sought treatment. It has been a long process for Fish, who has been public about his struggles in hopes of helping others.

"It's always going to be a part of your life," Fish said, "but you can put yourself right back in the fire and come through OK. I think I showed that here."

Fish arrived at Louis Armstrong Stadium ranked No. 581 in the world. He had played five matches all year, winning two. And he had not entered the Open expecting to make any sort of substantial noise. In an essay online for the Players Tribune, he wrote, "I'm not going to win the tournament."

After so many physical and psychological setbacks, he simply wanted to go out on his own terms, he said. In the first round, he needed four sets to defeat Marco Cecchinato, a 22-year-old Italian who has yet to win an ATP-level match. Fish was  rusty (52 unforced errors) but still won easily, prolonging his run.

Facing the seasoned Lopez promised to be a more severe test, but Fish looked confident from the start. His shows of emotions were more of a slow drip than a gushing fire hose. When Fish went up a break in the first set, he pumped his fist as he walked to his courtside chair for a changeover. But it was almost imperceptible, especially for fans who studied and supported him from a distance. Their numbers grew as the match wore on.

"Just an awesome crowd," Fish said.

Many had come expecting to witness the last act of Fish's career, but he won the first set and broke Lopez's serve for an early lead in the third. Lopez began muttering to himself, his monologue extending deep into the fourth set when Fish again took control. He had a 5-4 lead and an opportunity to serve for the win.

"I was one game from the showers," Lopez said, adding, "I was not happy with the way I was playing."

"I think I was very lucky," Lopez said. "He was the better player today."

Fish said he wanted his career to end at the Open because it had always been one of his favorite events but also because of his abridged experience in 2012. He wanted another opportunity to leave an impression.

"I put my head on my pillow every night comfortable knowing how hard I've worked in the later stages of my career," Fish said. "Very comfortable with how this summer has gone. Just at peace, personally."

Despite giving a top-20 player everything he could handle, Fish said he was having no second thoughts about retirement - "none" - and was reserved about his future, except to say that he wanted to play a lot of golf and expected to stay involved with youth tennis.

As for his more immediate plans?

"I'm going to try to take an ice bath," he said.

© 2015 New York Times News Service