Aryna Sabalenka begins US Open title defence with 7-5, 6-1 win over Rebeka Masarova
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Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in action during her 7-5, 6-1 US Open first-round win over Switzerland's Rebeka Masarova in New York on Aug 24.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK – World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka began her US Open title defence in style, with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova in the first round on Aug 24.
The three-time Major winner overcame a shaky start and struggled to find her range, grinding through a tense opening set before racing through the second, feeding off a vocal Arthur Ashe crowd.
“I didn’t choose to play on Sunday, but if you win the match, it feels great. You have an extra day off, which can be good and bad. I’ve got used to it. I like it,” Sabalenka said.
“But it only works when you win the match. Imagine if you finish the tournament on Sunday. Then you can be a little bit frustrated with the scheduling...”
She had been tested early in the opener, dropping serve after back-to-back forehand errors before reclaiming the break when Masarova double faulted. Despite landing just 50 per cent of her first serves, she closed out the set on return, finishing with a winner at the net.
After showing flashes of frustration, the top seed quickly turned the tide in the second, jumping ahead as Masarova unravelled with three double faults to hand over an early break.
Sabalenka broke again in the same fashion, then consolidated with a second-serve ace.
While the Swiss finally managed to hold, the damage was done as Sabalenka served out the match for her eighth consecutive victory at Flushing Meadows.
On the match, she added: “I feel like I didn’t start my best in the first games, but then I found my rhythm.
“I love to be defending champion. For me, it’s motivation, you know, and I want to do well.”
She will face Russia’s Polina Kudermetova in the second round on Aug 27.
Earlier, Emma Raducanu, the first qualifier to win the tournament in 2021, moved into the second round for the first time since hoisting the trophy.
The Briton beat Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2 to seal a second-round date with Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.
“I did feel different coming into it this year,” said Raducanu, who lost in the first round in 2022 and 2024.
In the men’s draw, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton got off to a confident start, cruising into the second round as they bid to end a 22-year title drought for American men in New York.
Fritz, who in 2024 became the first American man since 2006 to reach the Flushing Meadows final, beat wildcard compatriot Emilio Nava 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.
Shelton, semi-finalist in 2023, beat Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Next up for Fritz is either Sebastian Baez or Lloyd Harris, while Shelton will face Pablo Carreno Busta. REUTERS
