Iga Swiatek cruises into US Open second round after beating Wang Xiyu

US Open: Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova began their US Open campaigns with convincing straight-sets victories in New York. Both former finalists now move into the second round with early momentum in their title bids.Iga Swiatek defeated Wang Xiyu 6-2, 6-3 in her US Open opener. (Photo: Reuters)Iga Swiatek began her US Open campaign with a composed straight-sets victory over Wang Xiyu on Monday, beating the Chinese 6-2, 6-3 to make a confident start to her bid for a second title in New York. The eighth-seeded Pole never allowed her opponent to settle at Louis Armstrong Stadium.Swiatek arrived in Flushing Meadows with some much-needed momentum after claiming her first title of the season in Toronto and then reaching the semi-finals in Cincinnati. She carried that run into her opening match, establishing control early and maintaining her intensity through the 88-minute contest."For sure it was a good day in the office," Swiatek said after the win. "I felt pretty good right from the beginning and I had the energy and the intensity. I want to keep it that way."The 25-year-old broke Wang twice in the opening set after moving 3-1 ahead and closed it out without much trouble. Wang showed more resistance in the second, but Swiatek found another break in the eighth game before serving out the match. She will face Nadia Podoroska in the second round. Swiatek was also pleased with the way she handled a hard-court swing that has not always been her most comfortable part of the season."It's nice to come to a Grand Slam after a couple of good results, especially because this swing is never one I've felt super comfortable at," she said.ANISIMOVA MARKS BIRTHDAY WITH BIG WIN Amanda Anisimova also made a strong start, defeating fellow American Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3 in 72 minutes. The 10th seed saved three early break points before taking control and moving through the opening set.Krueger made the second set more competitive, but Anisimova recovered from an early exchange of breaks and secured the decisive break in the final game to seal the victory."Today was my birthday, so maybe that took a little bit of the stress off," Anisimova said after the crowd sang Happy Birthday to her.The 25-year-old, who finished runner-up at the US Open last year, will next face Austria's Lilli Tagger as she looks to go one step further this time.ALCARAZ, SABALENKA MAKE WINNING STARTSDefending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz also opened his campaign with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Roman Safiullin. The second seed was playing his first tour-level singles match since April after missing the French Open and Wimbledon with a wrist injury.World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-4 to begin her title defence. The two-time defending champion extended her US Open winning streak to 14 matches as she continued her pursuit of a third consecutive crown.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 1, 2026 07:11 IST