Sabalenka Surges into US Open Second Round as Fritz and Shelton Glide Through
Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her title defense at the US Open with a determined victory, while American stars Taylor Fritz and Blake Shelton also advanced comfortably in their opening matches.
World No. 1 Sabalenka, aiming to become the first woman to win consecutive US Open titles since Serena Williams completed her hat-trick in 2014, faced a spirited challenge from Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova. The Belarusian ultimately triumphed with a score of 7-5, 6-1 in a hard-fought encounter on the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Masarova, currently ranked 108th, pushed Sabalenka out of her comfort zone with a gutsy performance, but the defending champion found her rhythm to secure a place in the second round, where she will meet unseeded Russian Polina Kudermetova.
In other early action, Kudermetova’s sister, Veronika, suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen. Tjen, making history as the first Indonesian to compete in a Grand Slam singles main draw in 21 years, won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. She will now face British former champion Emma Raducanu, who clinched her first US Open match win since her remarkable 2021 victory with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 rout of Japan’s Ena Shibahara.
“I wanted to win a match here really bad,” Raducanu expressed. “It’s been four years, and it’s a very special tournament for me.”
The tournament also saw an upset as Denmark’s 14th seed Clara Tauson fell to Alexandra Eala from the Philippines in a thrilling three-set battle, finishing 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13/11).
On the men’s side, fourth seed Taylor Fritz, last year’s finalist and a semifinalist at Wimbledon, dispatched unseeded Emilio Nava with a solid 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 performance. Shelton followed suit, easing past Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Both American players are poised to lead the charge for a Grand Slam men’s singles title, which has eluded the U.S. since Andy Roddick’s triumph in 2003. However, Shelton remains focused on the task at hand, stating, “As soon as you start looking ahead, you stumble over your own feet. So just one game at a time.”
Later in the day, Novak Djokovic will begin his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title against Learner Tien, while other notable matches include 13th seed Daniil Medvedev facing France’s Benjamin Bonzi.
