Aryna Sabalenka Advances in US Open After Overcoming a Complicated Debut
The current champion, Aryna Sabalenka, secured her spot in the second round of the US Open after overcoming a challenging first set in her opening match. The world number one defeated Swiss player Rebeka Masarova with a score of 7-5, 6-1. The match was not without difficulties, as Sabalenka suffered a break at the beginning of the first set. The match remained close until the defending champion managed to pull away on the scoreboard, breaking the 5-5 tie. Sabalenka dominated the second set, conceding only one game and securing her victory.The Belarusian tennis player thanked the public for their support at Arthur Ashe Stadium, highlighting their contribution to overcoming the tense first set.I feel like I didn’t start in the best way in the first games, but then I found my rhythm. I am happy with the level I showed today.
Aryna Sabalenka
Since the beginning of 2023, Sabalenka has accumulated 59 victories in important matches, leading all women in this aspect. Her goal is to become the first woman to successfully defend her US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014. The current streak of ten consecutive US Open editions without a repeat champion is the longest since the tournament eliminated the challenge round in 1912. The three-time Grand Slam champion has had a variable performance in the four Grand Slams this year, failing to win titles in three of them. In her next match, Sabalenka will face Polina Kudermetova, who became the first player to advance in this year’s tournament, because her opponent, Nuria Parrizas Diaz, withdrew after only four games. Sabalenka already defeated Kudermetova in their most recent match in Dubai, in February.When I won that set point and you cheered me on, I felt chills. Your support means a lot to me, thank you very much.
Aryna Sabalenka
Other Notable Results in the Women’s Day
In other women’s singles results, Janice Tjen defeated the number 24 seed, Veronika Kudermetova, with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Tjen becomes the first Indonesian player to win a major match since Angelique Widjaja at Wimbledon in 2003.In the second round, Tjen will face Emma Raducanu, who achieved a victory in New York for the first time since winning the US Open title in 2021, eliminating Ena Shibahara with a score of 6-1, 6-2. Raducanu needed only 62 minutes to advance, the fastest triumph of her career in a major tournament. American Emma Navarro, a US Open semifinalist in 2024, had a challenging first set against Wang Yafan, which lasted 76 minutes, before prevailing with a score of 7-6 (9), 6-3. This will lead her to face Caty McNally in the second round, in an all-American match. Other seeded players who advanced were McCartney Kessler (32), Leylah Fernandez (31), Jelena Ostapenko (25) and Belinda Bencic (16), who comes from reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon. In the night session, the number 7 seed, Jasmine Paolini, after her outstanding performance in the Cincinnati Open final, defeated Destanee Aiava with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (4) at Louis Armstrong. Paolini has 25 wins in important matches since the beginning of last season, the fourth highest amount among women in that period, behind Sabalenka (36), Iga Swiatek (32) and Coco Gauff (27). American Jessica Pegula, runner-up last year at Flushing Meadows, defeated Mayar Sherif with a score of 6-0, 6-4, in the last match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.It means a lot. I feel proud to be able to do this for my country. I hope that my participation here helps to inspire more children… more young people to play tennis and also to believe that they too can be here.
Janice Tjen
