By Shrivathsa Sridhar
NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Former champion Iga Swiatek got her U.S. Open campaign off to a solid start on Monday as the Polish eighth seed defeated China’s Wang Xiyu 6-2 6-3 to reach the second round.
Swiatek claimed her first title of an inconsistent year in Toronto earlier this month and followed it up with a run to the Cincinnati semi-finals, arriving in New York with a confidence boost as she bids for a seventh Grand Slam crown.
“For sure it was a good day in the office,” Swiatek said on court after her 88-minute workout.
“I felt pretty good right from the beginning and I had the energy and the intensity. I want to keep it that way. Wang was playing deep with lot of top-spin so I needed the strength.
“It’s nice to come to a Grand Slam after a couple of good results, especially because this swing is never one I’ve felt super comfortable at. I’ve made a lot of progress and I’m focused on improving the little things in my game.”
The 25-year-old quickly seized control under the lights at Louis Armstrong Stadium, surging to a 3-1 lead before wrapping up the first set with another break when Wang sent a forehand over the baseline.
Swiatek, the Flushing Meadows champion in 2022, pounced for a decisive break in the eighth game of the next set and secured the victory for a second-round clash with Nadia Podoroska, who saw off Simona Waltert earlier.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
