New York (AFP) – Aryna Sabalenka launched the defence of her US Open crown with a battling victory on Sunday as American men’s hopes Taylor Fritz and Blake Shelton advanced safely. World number one Sabalenka, who is bidding to become the first woman to win back-to-back US Open titles since Serena Williams completed a hat-trick of wins in 2014, was made to work hard en route to a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova. Masarova, ranked 108th in the world, pushed Sabalenka out of her comfort zone with a gutsy performance on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center’s main Arthur Ashe Stadium showcourt.
“Happy to get this win and happy to be in the second round. I feel like I didn’t start my best in the first games, but then I found my rhythm,” said Sabalenka, who will face unseeded Russian Polina Kudermetova in the second round. In other early action on Sunday, Kudermetova’s sister Veronika was on the wrong end of one of the few early upsets, losing in three sets to Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen. Kudermetova, the 24th seed, was bundled out after a composed performance from the 23-year-old Tjen, the first Indonesian to play in the main draw of a Grand Slam singles event for 21 years. Tjen won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and will now face Britain’s former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round.
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“It means a lot,” Tjen said of her victory. “I feel proud to be able to do this for my country.” Raducanu, who made history at Flushing Meadows in 2021 by becoming the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam title, clinched her first US Open match win since that memorable triumph with a 6-1, 6-2 drubbing of Japan’s Ena Shibahara. “I wanted to win a match here really bad,” said Raducanu. “It’s been four years, and it’s a very special tournament for me.” Denmark’s 14th-seeded Clara Tauson was the highest-ranked player to fall in early action, tumbling out in three sets to Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, who won a nail-biting tussle 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13/11).
– Fritz, Shelton ease through –
While Sabalenka was the highest-ranked women’s player in action on Sunday, the men’s tournament saw American fourth and sixth seeds Fritz and Shelton ease into the second round. Fourth seed Fritz, last year’s beaten finalist and a semi-finalist at Wimbledon last month, sailed through with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 defeat of unseeded compatriot Emilio Nava. Shelton progressed with a similarly comfortable 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse. Shelton and Fritz are spearheading US hopes of a first Grand Slam men’s singles win since Andy Roddick’s victory at the 2003 US Open.
Shelton though insists he is not looking beyond the second round, where he will face either Pablo Carreno Busta or Pablo Llamas Ruiz. “As soon as you start looking ahead, you stumble over your own feet. So just one game at a time,” he said. Later Sunday, Novak Djokovic launches his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title in an evening match against Learner Tien. The 38-year-old Serbian seventh seed has not played since his defeat in the semi-finals at Wimbledon last month, and has cut back his schedule as he focuses on Grand Slam events.
In other men’s matches on Sunday, 13th-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev opens his campaign against France’s Benjamin Bonzi. Elsewhere, Czech 16th seed Jakub Mensik edged Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-4 while Spanish 18th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina breezed past Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan 6-1, 6-1, 6-2. Italy’s 32nd seed Luciano Darderi eliminated Australia’s Rinky Hijikata 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
© 2024 AFP
