Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner kick off US Open campaigns with easy victories.
IMAGE: Coco Gauff of the United States stretches fully to make a backhand return against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round match at the US Open on Tuesday. Photograph: Robert Deutsch/Reuters
Former champion Coco Gauff launched her US Open campaign with a 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 win over unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round on Tuesday, the American navigating a big test following a late coaching shake-up ahead of the year’s final Grand Slam.
Gauff, who arrived in New York after splitting with mentor Matt Daly and hiring biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan to address her lingering service issues, made a shaky start under the primetime glare of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 2023 champion dropped the opening game on her delivery and produced a flurry of errors but soon shook off the cobwebs and grabbed a 5-4 lead with an ace out wide, eventually taking the first set with a decisive break.
IMAGE: Unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic raised her game in the second set tie-break to make it one set apiece. Photograph: Robert Deutsch/Reuters
Tomljanovic, who famously battled past Serena Williams in three sets at Flushing Meadows in 2022, was in need of a similar fightback when twice major champion Gauff built up a 4-2 lead in the second set.
The Australian rallied bravely from there to move ahead 5-4 before squandering two set points, but composed herself quickly and forced a tiebreak, where she raised her game again to make it one set apiece.
A nervous Gauff made consecutive double faults when serving at 5-4 in the decider before regaining composure to wrap up the victory and book a second-round encounter with Paris Olympics silver medallist Donna Vekic, who got the better of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Swiatek cruises past Arango
IMAGE: Poland’s Iga Swiatek returns to Colombia’s Emiliana Arango during their first-round match. Photograph: Robert Deutsch/Reuters
Past winners Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner walloped their US Open first-round opponents on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday, as ticketholders enjoyed a third day of round-one action thanks to the tournament’s newly expanded, 15-day schedule that organisers hoped would accommodate more fans after three straight years of record-breaking attendances.
Wimbledon winner Swiatek arrived in New York in pristine form after hoisting the trophy at the Cincinnati tune-up tournament and cruised past Emiliana Arango 6-1, 6-2 in an hour, never facing a break point.
The blindingly bright sun appeared to be the biggest challenge the Wimbledon winner had to cope with at Arthur Ashe Stadium as she never faced a break point and sent over 26 winners compared to five from her opponent.
The 2022 champion next plays Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands.
IMAGE: Emiliana Arango returns during her match against Iga Swiatek. Photograph: Robert Deutsch/Reuters
“Every year is kind of tough, because New York is just so loud, you know, and it’s hard to find that balance off the court,” she said.
“But I’ve got to say I’m probably good at it compared to other players, so I’m really trying to be in my bubble.”
The 2022 champion unleashed her usual precision play to break unseeded Arango from the baseline in the fourth game and sprinted through the rest of the set from there, dropping only one of her first-serve points.
Swiatek broke her opponent in the opening game of the second set, where she produced just five unforced errors, and Arango shouted in frustration as she helped the six-times major winner to another break with a clumsy shot into the net in the seventh.
The 24-year-old had her devoted Polish fans on their feet as she closed it out with a forehand winner, giving a subdued celebration.
Osaka races into second round
IMAGE: Japan’s Naomi Osaka celebrates victory over Belgium’s Greet Minnen. Photograph: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images/Reuters
Naomi Osaka turned heads, stepping on court in a dazzling crystal-encrusted red Nike outfit before dismantling Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round.
The twice champion made her Louis Armstrong Stadium entrance with an elaborate rose-adorned ponytail that she later ditched for practicality, but not before making a statement at the floodlit evening session.
The nerves showed at the start but ultimately not in her statistics — seven thunderous aces, zero break points faced in the second set, and a perfect six-for-six conversion on break chances in a match she wrapped up in 83 minutes.
Minnen, ranked 106th, was ultimately undone by 30 unforced errors against Osaka’s relentless baseline power.
“I feel like she was more aggressive than I anticipated. I was a little overwhelmed at times, but I just tried to make her keep playing one more shot,” Osaka said, crediting recent confidence-building victories for her improved mindset.
“It feels really good to have won quite a few matches against some really good players, especially on a surface that I love.”
Sinner makes rousing start
IMAGE: Italy’s Jannik Sinner waves to the stands after beating Czechia’s Vit Kopriva. Photograph: Robert Deutsch/Reuters
It was the first of two lopsided affairs on Ashe, as the top-ranked men’s defending champion Sinner swatted aside his Czech opponent Vit Kopriva 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, setting up a meeting with Australian Alexei Popyrin, who beat Finn Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3).
The four-times major winner retired from the US Open tune-up tournament earlier this month due to sickness but had no issues at Arthur Ashe Stadium as he sent over seven aces.
“Very happy that I’m healthy again, that we did our best to be in the best possible shape here,” said Sinner.
The Italian sprinted through the first five games of the opening set, where he produced only a handful of unforced errors and dropped just two of his first-serve points.
IMAGE: Vit Kopriva makes a backhand return from the baseline against Jannik Sinner. Photograph: Amber Searls-Imagn Images/Reuters
Kopriva never got a leg up on his opponent, slipping and falling to the court in the final game of the second set as he chased a shot near the baseline before handing Sinner another break with a double fault on the next point.
The Czech cleaned up his act in the third set as Sinner got a bit sloppier, putting up nine unforced errors, but the Italian extinguished both break points he faced.
Sinner entered Flushing Meadows a year ago in a cloud of controversy over doping allegations but the crowd was firmly on his side this time as he clinched victory with a beautiful backhand winner that just kissed the line.
On the Grandstand, Marin Cilic became the latest former champion to exit the tournament as 23rd seed Alexander Bublik eliminated the Croatian 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.
American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova rolled past Australian Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 6-2 in the second match on Armstrong, sending over 17 winners to just four from her opponent.
