New York, August 31: The first day of the US Open saw most top female players secure expected victories in the singles matches. Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, Jasmine Paolini, and Jessica Pegula all advanced to the next round with their wins.
However, a significant upset occurred when 27th seed Barbora Krejcikova lost to Kamila Rakhimova, resulting in her elimination from the tournament. On the opening day, seven seeded players took to the court. Except for Jasmine Paolini, all other seeded players delivered impressive performances, winning their matches in straight sets. Paolini faced a tougher challenge but ultimately secured her victory.
Svitolina kicked off the tournament’s first night session at Louis Armstrong Stadium with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Solana Sierra in just 52 minutes. The ninth-seeded player has an excellent record in first-round Grand Slam matches, having won 9 of her last 11 opening matches. She holds a remarkable total of 117 wins in Grand Slam tournaments, the highest for any Ukrainian player, and is the only Ukrainian to surpass 100 Grand Slam match victories.
Kostyuk began her quest for a third consecutive Grand Slam semifinal with a solid win, defeating Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-1 in just 67 minutes on Grandstand Court. The 11th seed improved her season record to 33-8, winning the last five games of the match and seven of the last eight. She recorded eight aces and 22 winners, alongside 12 unforced errors.
Paolini’s first match was far from easy. The 19th seed had to work hard to overcome Veronika Erjavec, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 after a grueling 1 hour and 46 minutes. Despite a dip in her performance during the second set, she made a strong comeback to clinch the match, hitting 36 winners but also committing 27 unforced errors.
Paolini had struggled in recent Grand Slam tournaments, failing to reach the fourth round in her last four majors. However, she made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon this year and aims to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open for the first time.
Eighteenth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and 31st seed Leylah Fernandez also recorded impressive first-round victories. Alexandrova defeated McCartney Kessler 6-2, 6-2 in just 66 minutes, while Fernandez showcased her skills by beating Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-2 in 75 minutes.
On Court 12, former world number one Karolína Plíšková achieved the day’s most remarkable comeback. Competing without a seeding, she remains a formidable player. Plíšková was down 6-2, 5-2 against Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel and faced a match point against her. However, she rallied back to win nine consecutive games, ultimately taking the match 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 2 hours and 30 minutes. This victory marks her 10th consecutive second-round appearance at the US Open, where she has reached the finals once and the quarterfinals five times.
Other results included:
Polina Yatsenyko defeated Renata Zarazua 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7); Donna Vekic beat Tahlia Gibson 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Lanalana Taradudy won against Alvina Kaliyeva 6-3, 6-7(4); Lucrezia Stefanini triumphed over Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Wang Xinyu defeated Emiliana Arango 6-4, 6-2; Katie Boulter overcame Carol Young Suh Lee 6-4, 3-6, 6-0; and Tayla Preston won against Alicia Parks 6-3, 6-3.
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