(New York) World No.1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek has overcome the hurdle of 1^er turn at the United States Open on Monday by easily eliminating Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, 6-0, 6-1, in New York.

After this victory against the 86^e world player, the 22-year-old Polish will face Australian Daria Saville (322^e), who earlier beat American Clervie Ngounoue 6-0, 6-2 (494^e).

On the Arthur Ashe court, Swiatek left the Swede no chance, offering herself three break points before rolling to win the first set 6-0. Peterson won his first serve in the second set, but then Swiatek gave him no chance (6-1).

“I really wanted to play a solid match,” she said on the court after her victory, saying she was satisfied not to have trembled “despite the pressure and the expectations” around her.

If the next round seems affordable for the Pole, Swiatek is promised a delicate end to the course on the road to a new title at Flushing Meadows, which would constitute her fifth Grand Slam victory.

She could theoretically meet in the quarter-finals the player in form of the moment, the American Coco Gauff (6^e world), who beat her in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati tournament, then the Kazakh Elena Rybakina (4^e), before possibly finding in the final the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (2^e).

Rybakina calmly passes the first round

Kazakh Elena Rybakina, 4^e world, easily qualified for the second round by dismissing the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (39^e) 6-2, 6-1.

In the next round, the 24-year-old player, still in search of a second Grand Slam title after Wimbledon 2022 and her lost final at the start of the year at the Australian Open, will face either Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (127^e), quarter-finalist last year after retiring Queen Serena Williams, Hungarian Panna Udvardy (122^e).

Rybakina, who has reached at least the quarter-finals of the other three Majors during her career, has never passed the third round at Flushing Meadows, reached in 2021. Last year, she was taken out of the entrance.

Karolina Muchova advances to the next round

The Czech Karolina Muchova (10^e world) became the first player to qualify for the second round on Monday, beating Australian Storm Hunter (158^e), 6-4, 6-0.

It only took one hour and five minutes for the recent finalist of the Roland-Garros tournament to overcome Storm Hunter, best known for her qualities as a doubles player (N.3 in the world).

In the second round, Muchova will face the winner of the match between the Polish Magdalena Frech (77^e world) to the American Emma Navarro (57^e).

Maria Sakkari eliminated in the first round

The Greek Maria Sakkari, eighth player in the world and also seeded N.8 of the tournament, was eliminated Monday in the first round by the Spaniard Rebeka Masarova (N.71), 6-4, 6-4.

After a lively start to the match (4-1), Maria Sakkari gave up five games in a row, betrayed by her serve, while Rebeka Masarova was more regular, breaking her opponent again in the seventh game of the second set.

This is the third elimination in a row in the first round in a grand slam for the Greek, finalist at Roland-Garros and at the United States Open in 2021.

In the second round, Rebeka Masarova will face the winner of the match between Slovak Ana Karolina Schmiedlova and Ukrainian Kateryna Baindl.