In a triumphant start to the US Open, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys secured their spots in the second round with dominant performances. These wins have raised hopes for a homegrown champion at the year’s final grand slam.
Pegula, who recently won the Montreal tournament, comfortably defeated Italy’s Camila Giorgi with a score of 6-2, 6-2. Former finalist Madison Keys also showcased her skills by beating Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands 6-2, 6-4.
Since Sloane Stephens’ victory over Keys in the 2017 US Open final, an American woman has not claimed the title. However, Pegula’s impressive form against the 52nd-ranked Giorgi suggests she might be peaking at the perfect time.
During her on-court interview, Pegula expressed the unpredictable nature of the sport, stating, “Tennis is so day-to-day — you can feel great one week and then you can feel terrible the next. So you are just trying to really get through the first few rounds and try to improve with each match.”
Pegula’s exceptional footwork and movement allowed her to secure an early lead in the first set. She finished it off confidently with a backhand winner down the line. In the second set, she broke her opponent’s serve and closed the match with another hold to love.
Meanwhile, Madison Keys dominated her match against Arantxa Rus, taking an early 3-0 lead and maintaining control throughout. Keys secured the necessary break and relied on her strong serve to secure the victory.
In other matches, the fifth seed Ons Jabeur battled through illness to defeat Camila Osorio 7-5, 7-6 (4). Jabeur, who lost in last year’s final, described it as a “very, very tough day” but managed to overcome the obstacles.
Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 runner-up, was eliminated by Ekaterina Alexandrova in a thrilling match that ended 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4.
Caroline Garcia, a semifinalist in the 2022 US Open, suffered a significant defeat at the hands of Chinese qualifier Yafan Wang, who is ranked 114th. Garcia’s 34 unforced errors proved costly and will result in her falling out of the top 10 rankings.
Yafan Wang, who endured a seven-month hiatus in 2022 and ranked 696th in March, has had an outstanding year with a 57-10 record and titles in multiple events.
Other notable wins include Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova’s comfortable victory over Na-Lae Han and Aryna Sabalenka’s dominant performance against Maryna Zanevska, setting up a meeting with Britain’s Jodie Burrage.
Aryna Sabalenka expressed her satisfaction with her focus and hopes to improve with every game in her pursuit of success at the US Open.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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