Aryna Sabalenka advances at the US Open after overcoming a tough start
The current champion, Aryna Sabalenka, began her US Open title defense with a first-round victory. The world number one defeated Swiss tennis player Rebeka Masarova with a score of 7-5 and 6-1. The match was not easy for Sabalenka, who had to come back from a break in the first set. The tie was maintained until the defending champion managed to pull away after tying 5-5. Sabalenka dominated the second set, losing only one game and securing her place in the next round.Since the beginning of 2023, Sabalenka leads the women with 59 major matches won. She seeks to become the first woman to defend her US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014. This streak of 10 consecutive US Opens without a repeat champion is the longest since the tournament eliminated the Challenge Round in 1912. In the second round, Sabalenka will face Polina Kudermetova, who advanced after her opponent, Nuria Parrizas Diaz, retired with a score of 2-2 in the first set. Sabalenka defeated Kudermetova in their most recent match in Dubai, in February. In other results of the women’s day, Janice Tjen defeated the number 24 seed, Veronika Kudermetova, with a score of 6-4, 4-6 and 6-4, becoming the first Indonesian player to win a major match since Angelique Widjaja at Wimbledon in 2003. Tjen, who played college tennis at Oregon and finished his career at Pepperdine, qualified for the main draw. Between May and July, he won 27 consecutive ITF matches, including five titles. Previously, Emma Raducanu won a match in New York for the first time since winning the US Open title in 2021, eliminating Ena Shibahara with a score of 6-1 and 6-2. Raducanu needed only 62 minutes to reach the second round, the fastest victory of her career in a major tournament in terms of time on court. American Jessica Pegula, runner-up at Flushing Meadows in 2024, faced Mayar Sherif in the last match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.“When I won that point and you cheered me on, I felt chills,” Sabalenka said on the court after the victory. “Your support means a lot to me, thank you very much.”
Aryna Sabalenka
