Kerber, Pliskova in US Open Rd 2
NEW YORK: Former champion Angelique Kerber returned to action for the first time in seven months and beat Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-4 on Monday to reach the second round of the US Open. The 17th-seeded German, who entered the match having not competed since the fourth round of the Australian Open, overcame a shaky start on serve and got better as the 88-minute match at Louis Armstrong Stadium wore on. Kerber, a three-times Grand Slam champion who triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2016, traded breaks with Tomljanovic through the first four games of the match and then found her footing to take over the match. The German southpaw converted all three break point chances to pull ahead 5-4 and then went on to serve out at love to grab the first set. In the second, Kerber settled into a groove and broke her opponent twice before sealing the win on her third match point when a Tomljanovic forehand sailed long. Top seed Karolina Pliskova got a roaring start to her bid for a maiden Grand Slam title, downing first-round opponent Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-0 to kick off the action in Arthur Ashe Stadium.The 28-year-old Czech, who led the WTA in aces in four of the last five years, struggled with an uncharacteristically uneven serve in the first set, committing three double faults to give her unseeded opponent a fighting chance.
Osaka climbs one place
Naomi Osaka climbed one place to No 9 in the WTA rankings, released on Monday. Osaka’s withdrawal from the Western & Southern Open final at the weekend had handed the title to Victoria Azarenka who climbed 32 places to 27th in the world. Australian Ashleigh Barty retains the top spot although neither she nor world No 2Simona Halep are taking part in the US Open.