ROME -- The second round at the US Open started off in scorching conditions and ended the next day in what passes for normal in New York in August. Frances Tiafoe, who changed shirts half a dozen times in his win over Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan, left behind a pile of soaked laundry that he pronounced “disgusting.” That’s an apt adjective for Flushing Meadows. You’d think Italians who are used to suffering through torrid summers would have no difficulty coping. But Lorenzo Sonego, coming off a tournament title in Winston-Salem, went down tamely to American Tommy Paul in four sets. Then Matteo Berrettini, who has never really recovered from his injuries, lost in straight sets to Taylor Fritz, which isn’t really much of a surprise given the American’s perch on the cusp of the top ten.

 I’m tempted to say that Lorenzo Musetti nearly bit the dust against Miomir Kecmanovic, but in this season there’s absolutely no dust in New York. Maybe I should put it that Musetti nearly bit into his sweat-soaked towel, but somehow in five sets mustered the energy to win.

 Today, in slightly more clement conditions, fate was kinder to Italians. Some prognosticators imagined that American Alex Michelsen, a youngster with a blistering serve, might take advantage of Jannik Sinner who’s still contending with reports of his failed drug tests and forgiveness from the authorities. But the pale and usually phlegmatic Sinner came on court looking like a heavyweight before a title bout. He jogged in place and jumped up and down and broke Michelsen in the very first game. But then Michelsen broke him right back and when Sinner broke again and held on to win the first set 6-4. As they say in Italy, non c’è due senza tre. Sinner broke again and held on to win the first set 6-4.

 In the second set he tormented the tall lumbering American, running him side to side and torturing him with an occasional drop shot. The result was a bagel, a 6-0 beat down. Or maybe I should call it a ciambella. Michelsen struggled to win two games in the third and deciding set. Interestingly, though, Michelsen, like so many players today, continued to shake his fist in the air after each winning point. A curious habit, that. Why not bow  in resignation after each losing point?

 Later, Italian women’s number one, Jasmine Paolini, faced Karolina Pliskova. It would be hard to imagine that she would win with more ease than Sinner had. Yet she did indeed do exactly that. On the third point in the first set, the Polish woman limped off court and abandoned the match. Afterward, Paolini remarked politely, as all players do in such circumstances, that she hated to win that way. At least she didn’t shake her fist.

  To round off a pleasant day for Italians, Matteo Arnaldi beat the curiously named Russian Roman Saffiulin. Then a female Roman, Sara Errani, Paolini’s doubles partner, upset Caroline Dolehide, who herself had upset Danielle Collins in the first round.