Wimbledon champion Simona Halep wins in three sets but former world No 1 Garbine Muguruza suffers early exit at Flushing Meadows
Wednesday 28 August 2019 16:56, UK
Naomi Osaka rallied from a sluggish start to begin her US Open title defence with a battling three-sets victory against Anna Blinkova.
World No 1 Osaka raised her game in the deciding set on Arthur Ashe Stadium - the scene of her first Grand Slam title last year - to win 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 against the world No 84 from Russia.
Osaka, who became the first Japanese player ever to win a major, was broken in her opening service game but recovered to win five games in a row to seal the first set.
The Japanese player saved three set points at 4-5 in the second set but was forced into a deciding set as she lost a tiebreak after failing to serve out for victory.
The top seed, who sustained a left knee injury during the Cincinnati Masters earlier this month, recovered to break Blinkova twice in the third set and reach the second round.
"I have a lot of really good memories here because I grew up in this area. I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my life," said Osaka.
"I came off really slow and never really found my rhythm. I fought as hard as I could and managed to win."
The 21-year-old will next face Poland's Magda Linette after she defeated Australian Astra Sharma.
Wimbledon champion Simona Halep was also taken to a deciding set in her meeting with American Nicole Gibbs.
The Romanian, who lost in the first round last year, made it safely through, though, beating Gibbs 6-3 3-6 6-2 on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
"She started to play much better in the second set and I was dominated a bit but I refreshed my mind, came forward a bit more and that's how I got the win," Halep said.
"Every Grand Slam is tough, every match is difficult. I'm happy to get through the first round because in the previous two years I lost in the first round."
Cori Gauff, the 15-year-old who lit up Wimbledon on her grand slam debut, has won her first match at the US Open.
Gauff dropped the first set to Russia's Anastasia Potapova but hit back to win 3-6 6-2 6-4.
Former world No 1 Garbine Muguruza was beaten 2-6 6-1 6-3 by American Alison Riske, who had not won at Flushing Meadows since 2013.
The two-time Grand Slam champion was also knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon and last won a singles match at the French Open.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova eased into the second round with a 6-2 6-4 victory against fellow Czech Denisa Allertova.
