Pliskova, Strycova off the blocks in a hurry
new york — World number one Karolina Pliskova advanced to the second round of the US Open on Tuesday by defeating Poland’s 72nd-ranked Magda Linette 6-2, 6-1.
The 25-year-old Czech, last year’s US Open runner-up, will next face either US qualifier Nicole Gibbs or Paraguay’s Veronica Cepede Royg.
The roof closed between sets with light rain falling.
Fellow Czech Barbora Strycova also advanced quickly to the second round. The No. 23 seed beat Misaki Doi of Japan 6-1, 6-3.
Last year was the first with the roof covering the main stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Next year, a new Louis Armstrong Stadium will also have a retractable roof.
Staffers wiped the outer courts while fans began raising umbrellas, with hopes that matches would be able to resume quickly.
Elina Svitolina was into the second set before many fans had even entered the grounds.
The fourth-seeded Ukrainian won the first set 6-0 against Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic in less than a half-hour.
Svitolina has a WTA Tour-leading five titles in 2017 and her 45 match victories rank second to Caroline Wozniacki.
Svitolina then won the first game of the second set before Siniakova finally got on the board.
Meanwhile, Marin Cilic tried to find confidence from the heartbreak of an injury-hampered Wimbledon final loss in his return on Monday after an adductor muscle strain.
The thigh injury left him in tears on the court as he lost to Roger Federer last month in a bid for a second Grand Slam crown after his 2014 US Open triumph.
“I knew that, OK, I was not physically 100 percent in that final. That was just tough for me to handle, especially in that moment,” Cilic said.
“But I took all positives out of it. Up to the end of Wimbledon, I had really consistent play, maybe the best ever in my career, so that’s extremely positive for me. Now I’m looking to build on that.”
In his first match since Wimbledon, the Croatian fifth seed outlasted 105th-ranked American Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on Monday to reach the second round. —