Much great tennis was played on Day 1 of the women’s singles at the US Open. Defending champion Coco Gauff and 2017 runner-up Madison Keys were among the players in action. This article overviews who looked good, which players struggled, and picks the match that stood out the most.
US Open Day 1 Women’s Recap
Who Looked Good?
Coco Gauff made a solid start to her title defense at the US Open. She dropped just two games in a 6-2 6-0 victory against Varvara Gracheva. The first set was closer than the score suggests, with Gauff saving six break points across three of her service games. She utterly dominated in the second set, though.
Aryna Sabalenka, who is the favorite to win the US Open, performed well on Louis Armstrong Stadium against Priscilla Hon. The Belarusian was a straight sets winner against Priscilla Hon. Sabalenka can play better, but this was still a decent start for her.
Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng won a much-anticipated battle against the National Bank Open runner-up Amanda Anisimova. She was on the ropes after losing the opening set 4-6 to the home favorite. However, Zheng kept her composure superbly to take a close second set 6-4. After that, the match swung in her favor, and she progressed 4-6 6-4 6-2 on Day 1.
Wimbledon semifinalist Donna Vekic also began well at the US Open. Kimberly Birrell pushed the Croatian hard for two sets in a competitive match. Vekic took four of her six break point opportunities, which proved crucial in her 6-4 6-4 triumph.
Iva Jovic had a fantastic day in New York. The 16-year-old, who received a wild card because of her victory in the USTA’s U18 National Championships, stunned the experienced Magda Linette 6-4, 6-3 on Court 15, only being broken once during the match.
Who Looked Bad?
Nine-time Grand Slam doubles Katerina Siniakova was far below her best against Madison Keys on Day 1. The American did not need to be near her blistering best to prevail 6-4 6-1. Keys’ level was pretty mediocre by her standards in the first set, but the Czech never came close to taking advantage.
Viktorija Golubic also did not do herself justice. Defeating this year’s Citi DC Open champion, Paula Badosa, would always be challenging, but she gave herself no chance of winning in her 0-6, 3-6 loss. The Swiss player only held serve once and made too many unforced errors to compete against Badosa.
Match of the Day
2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens’ match against Clara Burel on Day 1 was extraordinary. The home favorite dominated the first nine games of the match, winning them all without facing a game point. It seemed like she could claim one of the quickest victories of her career.
However, Stephens went on to suffer a shocking defeat. She served for the match at 5-4 up in the second set but lost the last three games, allowing Burel to force a decider by taking the set 7-5. Stephens then steadied the ship initially in the third set and led 4-2 and 5-4, giving her another chance to serve it out. Incredibly, the 30-year-old faltered again. Burel won the final three games of the set for a second time, and secured a 0-6 7-5 7-5 triumph, stunning the fans on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
