Iga Swiatek defeats Wang Xiyu 6-2, 6-3 to reach US Open second round

Iga Swiatek defeated Wang Xiyu 6-2, 6-3 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in the US Open on Monday to advance to the tournament's second round. She will meet Nadia Podoroska in the next match.

The eighth-seeded Pole arrived in Flushing Meadows carrying momentum from winning her first title of the season in Toronto and reaching the semi-finals in Cincinnati. The 25-year-old brought that form into her opening match and maintained control throughout the contest.

Swiatek broke Wang twice in the first set after moving 3-1 ahead and closed out the set without major resistance. Wang raised her level in the second set, but Swiatek secured a decisive break in the eighth game and then served out the match, which lasted 88 minutes.

"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." She added: "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."

Amanda Anisimova, the 10th seed, beat Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3 in 72 minutes, saving three early break points before taking control of 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. "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.

Defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz 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 and extended her US Open winning streak to 14 matches as she pursued a third consecutive crown.

Swiatek's progression sets up a second-round meeting with Nadia Podoroska, while Anisimova will face Lilli Tagger; Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka also advanced to the next round.