There was much exciting tennis to be enjoyed on the opening day of the women’s singles at the US Open. Two-time US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki’s first Grand Slam appearance in nearly four years was one match to enjoy. But who looked good and bad, and which match stood out the most on a packed day in New York?
US Open Day 2 Women’s Recap
Defending champion Iga Swiatek made a statement in her opening match. The world #1 swept aside Rebecca Peterson 6-0 6-1. The Pole has more bagel sets this season than any woman on tour by a comfortable margin, and she added to her tally today. Today was a reminder of just how good opponents will have to be to beat her. Any rustiness that was evident in the Masters events in Montreal and Cincinnati does not seem to have carried over to the US Open.
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina almost matched Swiatek in terms of dominance. She was a 6-2 6-1 winner over Marta Kostyuk. The Ukrainian has beaten Maria Sakkari and Caroline Garcia this season, showing how dangerous she can be. However, the 2022 Wimbledon champion made light work of the challenge Kostyuk posed, hitting 26 winners on her way to victory.
Home favourite Coco Gauff had to work harder for her first round win. She recovered from losing the first set against Laura Siegemund to triumph 3-6 6-2 6-4. The sixth seed showed intelligence as well as technical excellence in the last two sets. Gauff noticed Siegemund was starting to struggle physically on a hot and humid night in New York. The Cincinnati champion began playing even quicker than normal between points. Her German opponent, who did play superbly in the first set, soon ran out of steam to allow Gauff to progress.
This year’s French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova also made a good start to the US Open. The Czech player defeated Storm Hunter 6-4 6-0 to advance to the second round. Muchova was clinical when she had opportunities, for example winning six of eight break points. Her varied game could cause any player trouble in the conditions at Flushing Meadows.
Caroline Wozniacki played the final women’s match of the opening day. It was worth the wait. The former runner-up at Flushing meadows was excellent in a 6-3 6-2 success over Tatiana Prozorova. The Dane’s consistency from the back of the court made it difficult to believe that she was away from tennis for over three years. Prozorova did not play a particularly bad match, and wowed the crowd at times with some of her shots. But it was nowhere close to enough.
Who looked bad
It was another incredibly disappointing first round for Maria Sakkari. The eighth seed fell at the first hurdle of a Grand Slam for the third time in a row after a 6-4 6-4 loss to Rebeka Masarova. It was the Spaniard’s third ever Grand Slam win, and she deserves credit for a solid match. But this was a chastening day for the Greek at the US Open, whose error strewn performance was so far below what she is capable of.
16th seed Veronika Kudermetova’s display was similarly underwhelming. Her opponent Bernarda Pera is usually most comfortable on clay. But the American claimed a 7-5 6-4 win at her home Grand Slam. Kudermetova paid the price for not being clinical in the big moments. For instance she failed to convert 10 of the 12 break chances she created, and at times did not seem to have the belief that she could turn the match round.
Playing the World #1 is a hard challenge for any player. But unfortunately Peterson would have struggled to beat anyone in the draw at the level she played. The Swede managed just two winners, whilst also leaking 16 unforced errors. Competing for the first time on a stadium as iconic as Arhur Ashe has overwhelmed many players over the years. Hopefully Peterson learns from the experience.
Match of the day
Beatriz Haddad Maia and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens battled it out for nearly three hours on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Haddad Maia was dominant in an opening set that ended 6-2 in favour of the Brazilian. But Stephens fought hard to make the match a more even contest, and won a tight second set 7-5. The momentum in the third set changed on many occasions. Stephens recovered from an early break down, and the home crowd tried to roar her over the finishing line. But it was Haddad Maia who had the last word. A final break saw her prevail 6-2 5-7 6-4. 70 winners were hit during a thoroughly entertaining contest between two players who pushed each other to the limit.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
