World No.1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek cleared the hurdle of the 1st round at the US Open on Monday by easily eliminating Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, 6-0, 6-1, in New York.
After this victory against the 86th player in the world, the 22-year-old Polish will face in the second round the Australian Daria Saville (322nd), who beat the American Clervie Ngounoue (494th) a little earlier 6-0, 6-2.
On the Arthur Ashe court, Swiatek left the Swede no chance, offering herself three break points before rolling to win the first set 6-0. Peterson won his first serve in the second set, but then Swiatek gave him no chance (6-1).
“I really wanted to play a solid match,” she said on the court after her victory, saying she was satisfied not to have trembled “despite the pressure and the expectations” around her.
If the next round seems affordable for the Pole, Swiatek is promised a delicate end to the course on the road to a new title at Flushing Meadows, which would constitute her fifth Grand Slam victory.
She could theoretically meet in the quarter-finals the player in form of the moment, the American Coco Gauff (6th in the world), who beat her in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati tournament, then the Kazakh Elena Rybakina (4th), before possibly find the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (2nd) in the final.
