ASH SURVIVES US OPEN SCARE
ASH Barty breathed a big sigh of relief after surviving a scare at the US Open yesterday.
Australia’s world No.2 had to pull out all the stops before battling past dogged Kazakh Zarina Diyas 1-6 6-3 6-2 on day one at Flushing Meadows.
Barty’s trademark big serve dragged her out of a hole and set up a date with unseeded American Lauren Davis.
“I just had to start with my serve,” the French Open champion said.
“I really wasn’t giving myself enough chances on serve. I don’t know what the percentage was in the first set … but it wasn’t good.
“(Had to) go back to the basics, start again and try to figure it out.”
Opening tournament proceedings at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Barty made a terrible start, falling behind 0-5 after struggling for rhythm.
A furious Barty emerged a different player in the second set, bludgeoning a succession of winners to work back into the contest. It took her eight games, though, to break down Diyas, ranked 77 in the world.
But once she did, Barty sealed the second set with a signature ace down the middle to get back on level terms.
She gained two more breaks in the third set to advance after what was a tough 102-minute workout.
“Zarina was able to put it in difficult positions even off my slice,” Barty said.
“It was about trying to do it regularly and put her under pressure.”
Australia’s Alex de Minaur moved through with a 6-4 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 win over Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in four sets. But compatriots Sam Stosur, Daria Gavrilova and Priscilla Hon all fell.
The champion in 2011, Stosur, 35, needed a wildcard into her 15th Open and bombed out 6-1 6-3 against Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Gavrilova, who continues to battle a foot injury, ended the 2019 grand slam season without a win after a 6-3 6-4 loss to FrenchwomanFiona Ferro.
Hon, a lucky loser from qualifying, had to settle for an $85,500 payday after succumbing 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to Russian Margarita Gaspa.
In the night matches Roger Federer shrugged off a slow start and came back for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory against Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal while Serena Williams put Maria Sharapova to the sword 6-1 6-1 in the battle of the divas.