Tennis-Swiatek swats aside Wang for a winning start at US Open

Former champion Iga ​Swiatek got her U.S. Open ​campaign off to a solid ‌start on ​Monday as the Polish eighth seed defeated China's Wang Xiyu 6-2 6-3 to reach the second round.

Swiatek claimed ‌her first title of an inconsistent year in Toronto earlier this month and followed it up with a run to the Cincinnati semi-finals, arriving in New York with ‌a confidence boost as she bids for a seventh Grand Slam crown. "For ‌sure it was a good day in the office," Swiatek said on court after her 88-minute workout.

"I felt pretty good right from the beginning and I had the energy and the intensity. ⁠I want ​to keep it ⁠that way. Wang was playing deep with lot of top-spin so I needed the strength. "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. I've made a lot ⁠of progress and I'm focused on improving the little things in my game."

The 25-year-old quickly seized ⁠control ​under the lights at Louis Armstrong Stadium, surging to a 3-1 lead before wrapping up the first set with another break when Wang sent a ⁠forehand over the baseline. Swiatek, the Flushing Meadows champion in 2022, pounced for a decisive ⁠break in the ⁠eighth game of the next set and secured the victory for a second-round clash with Nadia Podoroska, who saw off ‌Simona Waltert earlier.