Champion Sabalenka, Swiatek, Anisimova Off To Smashing Starts

Aryna Sabalenka secured a comfortable straight sets victory over Camila Osorio in her opening match, launching her bid for a third consecutive US Open title.

Amanda Anisimova breezed past Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3. Anisimova will face Austrian Lilli Tagger, who beat Tamara Korpatsch 6-0, 7-6(4).

 

World number one Aryna Sabalenka swatted aside US Open first-round opponent Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-4 on Monday, making a confident start to her quest for a rare "three-peat" at the year's final major. 

The Belarusian has been trying to turn around a dismal second half of the season, having failed to reach a final since winning at Indian Wells and the Miami Open to complete the Sunshine Double in March.

She seemed well on her way to flipping the script with the crowd on her side at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Sabalenka, who would join Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only women to win three straight US Opens in the professional era, fired off 32 winners to set up a meeting with Russian Polina Iatcenko in the second round. 

"I'm super happy with the level I played," said Sabalenka. "I feel like this is one of my favourite stadiums, I really experienced the best emotions here on this stadium."

Osorio handed Sabalenka a break with a double fault in the third game - one of five she had across the opening set - and slipped 4-1 behind as the Belarusian converted on another break point with an unreturnable backhand.

The Colombian trimmed the lead to 4-2 in the next game but never got a hold of the momentum and her racket went flying in her futile attempt to reach Sabalenka's perfectly placed drop shot on break point in the seventh game.

After trading early breaks in the second set, Sabalenka wore down her opponent's defence to secure the pivotal break in the ninth game, before closing it out with an unreturnable serve and a subdued celebration.

Sabalenka is also defending her world number one ranking in New York, with three other players in the women's main draw in a position to overtake her.

Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates winning her first round match against China's Xiyu.

Former champion Iga Swiatek got her US Open campaign off to a solid start, the Polish eighth seed defeating China's Wang Xiyu 6-2, 6-3 to reach the second round.

Swiatek claimed her first title of an inconsistent year in Toronto earlier this month and followed it up with a run to the Cincinnati semi-finals, arriving in New York with a confidence boost as she bids for a seventh Grand Slam crown.

"For sure it was a good day in the office," Swiatek said on court after her 88-minute workout.

"I felt pretty good right from the beginning and I had the energy and the intensity. I want to keep it that way. Wang was playing deep with lot of top-spin so I needed the strength.

Xiyu Wang in action during her first round match against Iga Swiatek.

"It's nice to come to a Grand Slam after a couple of good results, especially because this swing is never one I've felt super comfortable at. I've made a lot of progress and I'm focused on improving the little things in my game."

The 25-year-old quickly seized control under the lights at Louis Armstrong Stadium, surging to a 3-1 lead before wrapping up the first set with another break when Wang sent a forehand over the baseline.

Swiatek, the Flushing Meadows champion in 2022, pounced for a decisive break in the eighth game of the next set and secured the victory for a second-round clash with Nadia Podoroska, who saw off Simona Waltert earlier.

Amanda Anisimova in action during the all-American match-up against Ashlyn Krueger.

Amanda Anisimova breezed past Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3 in the first round in a strong start for last year's runner-up as she looks to challenge for the title again. 

"Today was my birthday, so maybe that took a little bit of the stress off," Anisimova, who turned 25, told reporters after her victory in Flushing Meadows, where the crowd sang her "Happy Birthday". 

Anisimova fought off three break-points early for a 2-1 lead before running away with the opening set in the all-American matchup at Louis Armstrong Stadium. 

The players traded breaks to open the second set but Anisimova, the world number 10, never let her grip on the match slip, breaking Krueger's serve in the final game to win the match in one hour and 12 minutes.

'Ashlyn Was Playing Some Great Tennis' : Ashlyn Krueger in action during her first round match against Amanda Anisimova.

"Ashlyn was playing some great tennis, so I feel like the quality and the level was pretty high today," Anisimova said. 

"I think everyone is always nervous for the Grand Slam first round because you're trying to find your tennis and maybe find your rhythm, because first rounds don't always necessarily have the highest quality," she added.

"I felt great out there today. I thought I played well. So I'm happy about that."

Anisimova will face Austrian Lilli Tagger, who beat Tamara Korpatsch 6-0, 7-6(4) in 1 hour and 56 minutes to earn her first Grand Slam main-draw win, in the second round.