MUGURUZA EASES PAST LEPCHENKO
WIMBLEDON CHAMPION REACHES SECOND ROUND OF US OPEN
NEWYORK: Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza notched up her first ever victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-0, 6-3 win over American Varvara Lepchenko at US Open on Monday.
Despite winning two grand slam titles, Muguruza has never felt at home at Flushing Meadows as she has never advanced past the third round here.
“I have been here so many times and I’ve never done very well,” said the Spaniard. “I give everything I have on the court. She started a little nervous and I started well. Then it got more equal and became a good fight.”
Lepchenko struggled with her accuracy on the partly-cloudy morning, committing 22 unforced errors to Muguruza’s 11.
The 23-year-old Muguruza was aggressive throughout, frequently coming to the net and using her powerful ground strokes to push Lepchenko into awkward court positions.
KVITOVA WEARS DOWN JANKOVIC
Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova scraped into the second round by beating former world number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 7-5, 7-5.
The Czech 13th seed, in search of top form after a mediocre build-up to the year’s final grand slam, struggled to adapt to Jankovic’s counter-punching style but eventually wore down the 2008 runner-up to set up a meeting with France’s Alize Cornet.
Kvitova, who returned to competition inh May five months after being stabbed in her hand by an intruder at her home, won a first set that featured three breaks of serve as both players struggled to find their range in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
She rallied back from 2-0 down in the second set but dropped serve again in the seventh game. However, Kvitova regained her composure to win four consecutive games and secured the win on her first match point with a sizzling shot.
Other completed matches on Monday’s opening day of the tournament included American wild card Sofia Kenin defeating 32nd-seeded American Lauren Davis 7-5, 7-5; Alize Cornet of France defeating Brit Heather Watson 6-4, 6-4; Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic beating Misa Eguchi of Japan 6-2, 6-2; and American Sachia Vickery defeating Natalia Vikhlyantseva of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
On the men’s side, 12th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta defeated American Evan King 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5); Kyle Edmund of Great Britain defeated No. 32 Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.