Aryna Sabalenka began her quest to defend her US Open crown with a strong display in New York, overcoming early nerves to secure a straight-sets victory over Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova. The world number one took some time to settle, but once she found her rhythm, she powered through to a 7-5, 6-1 win on the opening day of her title defence.
The Belarusian, already a three-time Grand Slam champion, admitted she felt some jitters at the start as Masarova managed to break her serve midway through the first set. But Sabalenka quickly hit back, levelling the score at 3-3 before gradually turning the tide in her favour. At 6-5, with a set point on the line, Sabalenka produced one of the shots of the match. After defending brilliantly against Masarova’s overhead, she unleashed a fierce down-the-line winner to take the set with a roar that electrified the crowd.
From that moment on, Masarova struggled to stay in contention. Ranked 108th in the world, the Swiss player held serve just once in the second set, allowing Sabalenka to race toward a comfortable finish. “I feel like I didn’t start my best in the first games, but then I found my rhythm,” Sabalenka reflected after the win.
Supporting her from the player’s box was Max Mirnyi, a 10-time Grand Slam doubles champion and former Belarusian great, who has recently joined Sabalenka’s team to assist head coach Anton Dubrov. Known during his playing days as “The Beast” because of his towering 6ft 4in frame and fearless approach, Mirnyi has been working closely with Sabalenka to refine her net play. She praised his impact, saying, “I feel like we improved a couple of things together, and I’m looking forward to working more with this wonderful guy.”
Sabalenka is chasing history in New York, aiming to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to defend the US Open singles title successfully. Despite a shaky performance at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month—where she narrowly escaped defeat to Emma Raducanu before falling to Elena Rybakina—Sabalenka has already proven her consistency this season, reaching at least the semi-finals in all three Grand Slams so far.
Up next for the top seed is Russia’s Polina Kudermetova, who advanced after her opponent Nuria Parrizas-Diaz retired due to injury.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, last year’s semi-finalist Emma Navarro impressed once again, rallying from 5-3 down in the opening set to defeat China’s Wang Yafan 7-6 (11-9), 6-3. Navarro, the 10th seed, will now face fellow American Caty McNally in the second round.
Meanwhile, former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova began her campaign with a solid 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva. She will meet American McCartney Kessler next. Jelena Ostapenko also advanced, beating Wang Xiyu of China 6-4, 6-3, to set up a clash with either Taylor Townsend or Antonia Ruzic.
With Sabalenka showing signs of her trademark power and confidence, the road ahead looks promising as she eyes a deep run and a shot at consecutive US Open titles.