Former champion Coco Gauff endured a scare on Tuesday before squeezing past Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 in a near three-hour battle to reach the US Open second round. The third seed, who recently reshaped her coaching team to fix her service game, will next face Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
Naomi Osaka, a two-time US Open winner, had a smoother passage, defeating Belgium’s Greetje Minnen 6-3, 6-4. Seeded 23rd, the Japanese star will take on American Hailey Baptiste in round two as she continues her return to form after maternity leave.
Amanda Anisimova impressed in her opener, easing past Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 6-2. The eighth seed, fresh from a strong season highlighted by her Doha title and Wimbledon final, will next meet another Australian, Maya Joint.
Top seed Iga Swiatek looked every bit the favourite as she swept aside Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-1, 6-2. The reigning Wimbledon champion, who fired 26 winners and faced no break points, moves on to face the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens.
