Leylah Fernandez rides superior serve at U.S. Open to 1st-round victory
Canada's Auger-Aliassime outlasts Donskoy; Marino falls to Svitolina in straight sets
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez have advanced to the second round of the U.S. Open in New York.
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., moved on with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over on Croatia's Ana Konjuh on Monday.
Later, Montreal's Auger-Aliassime, seeded 12th in the men's draw, won three tiebreaks in a 7-6 (0), 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (8) win over Russia's Evgeny Donskoy.
Fernandez was more opportunistic and more accurate than her first-round opponent.
She was good on 76 per cent of her first serves, winning 65 per cent of those available points.
Konjuh was accurate on just 63 per cent of her first serves. While she slightly outpaced Fernandez by winning 68 per cent of first serve points, she won just 35 per cent of second serve points, compared to 47 per cent for Fernandez.
WATCH | Fernandez posts straight-sets win over Konjuh in Round 1:
Fernandez made the most of her break-point chances, converting four of her seven opportunities. Konjuh had 10 break point chances against Fernandez but was only good on two.
4-hour match ends on missed backhand
Fernandez next faces Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. It will be the first meeting between the players.
WATCH | Fernandez bows out in 2nd round of Olympic tourney:
Auger-Aliassime was down 8-7 in the tiebreak with Donskoy serving, but the 21-year-old Montrealer shifted momentum in the set with a pair of receiving points.
Auger-Aliassime completed the four-hour marathon by converting his first match point chance when Donskoy missed on a backhand.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime notches 14 aces in 4-set win:
The Canadian fired 14 aces in the match to Donskoy's eight, but also had seven double faults to Donskoy's one.
Donskoy saved four of the five break points he faced, while converting two of three break-point opportunities against Auger-Aliassime.
Next up for Auger-Aliassime is a match against world No. 116 Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain.
Meanwhile, after making the main draw through qualifying, Vancouver's Rebecca Marino had her tournament come to an end.
Marino was ousted by fifth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-2, 6-3.
WATCH | Vancouver's Rebecca Marino falls in 1st round of U.S. Open to Svitolina:
Osaka takes straight sets victory in return to Grand Slam competition
Naomi Osaka overcame a slow start to beat Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4 6-1 on Monday as the world number three got her U.S. Open title defence under way in front of a roaring capacity crowd.
Unseeded Bouzkova held her own through much of the first set but failed to convert on four break point opportunities against the Japanese four-time Grand Slam winner.
Osaka, who fired 21 winners but committed 13 unforced errors in the first set, broke Bouzkova's serve at 5-4 to win the opener and never looked back, winning the first five games of the second despite struggling with her first serve.
She closed out the match with a forehand winner, offering a smile and a wave to the stands that were empty a year ago.
"It feels kind of crazy to play in front of everyone again," Osaka said. "Last year when we didn't have a crowd, I know it felt quite lonely for me."
The evening marked a reassuring return to form for Osaka, who crashed out in the third round of the Tokyo Olympics and the Western & Southern Open.
She said she felt at home at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she won her first major title three years ago.
"I think it might be the court where I've played the most matches in my career," said Osaka. "I'm just glad I won."
No. 2 Medvedev edges Gasquet in 3 sets
Daniil Medvedev ended a long first day at the U.S. Open by beating Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.
Medvedev, the No. 2 seed who was the runner-up in 2019, wrapped it up just after 1 a.m. by breaking Gasquet's serve for the fifth time.
Sabalenka advances with 3-set win over Stojanovic
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka was given a scare against Nina Stojanovic but came through with a dominant third set performance to advance 6-4 6-7(4) 6-0.
Up next for Sabalenka is French Open semi-finalist Tamara Zidansek, who dispatched American Bernarda Pera 6-4 7-6(4).
Halep victorious in Grand Slam return
Simona Halep, who missed three of the year's biggest events while recovering from a calf injury, delivered a statement win in her return to Grand Slam action as she beat Italian Camila Gorgi 6-4 7-6(3) on Monday to reach the second round.
The former world No. 1, who is seeded 12th in New York, relied on a solid serving game to get by in-form Gorgi, who won the biggest title of her career just two weeks ago in Montreal.
The 29-year-old Romanian was considered to be one of the more vulnerable seeds in New York but showed she was up for the task at hand in the day's first match on Grandstand.
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion whose best U.S. Open finish came in 2015 when she reached the semifinals, won 83 per cent of her first-serve points, fired down six aces and faced just two break points during the 93-minute match. Next up for Halep will be Slovakian lucky loser Kristina Kucova.
Tsitsipas outlasts Murray to advance
Stefanos Tsitsipas withstood a tough test from 2012 U.S. Open champion Andy Murray, emerging with a 2-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory after nearly five hours.
The No. 3 seed from Greece is among the group of young challengers to top-ranked Novak Djokovic, but had to fight just to get past the opening day.
Each of the last three sets took nearly an hour before Tsitsipas finished it in 4:49.
Rublev downs qualifier Karlovic
World No. 7 Andrey Rublev made short work of veteran qualifier Ivo Karlovic in the first round, beating the tricky Croatian 6-3 7-6(3) 6-3.
The Russian came into the year's final Grand Slam having reached the Cincinnati title clash and made a blistering start on Grandstand, winning the opening three games of the match before taking the first set with ease.
The 42-year-old Karlovic, the oldest U.S. Open qualifier in the Open Era, launched his comeback in the second set but Rublev held his nerve in the tiebreak, which he claimed with a forehand winner, before shifting gears in the final set.
After racing to a 5-3 lead, the 23-year-old former Flushing Meadows quarter-finalist closed out the match on the back of his superb serve, forcing a backhand error from the towering Karlovic on match point.
Azarenka, Gauff advance
Three-time U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka has moved into the second round, winning the final 11 games to beat Tereza Martincova 6-4, 6-0.
Angelique Kerber, the 2016 champion seeded 16th, rallied to edge Dayana Yastremska 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Coco Gauff shook off a shaky stretch in her opening match before rallying for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Magda Linette.
The No. 21-seeded Gauff advanced to face 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens in the second round.
Brady, Ostapenko, Tsonga out of tourney
Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady has withdrawn from the U.S. Open because of an injury.
Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, also pulled out Monday for medical reasons.
On the men's side, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also withdrew. The 2008 Australian Open finalist has a right leg injury.
With files from Reuters & The Associated Press
