Daria Saville has made a flying begin to the US Open to set up a second-round showdown with world number one and defending champion Iga Świątek.
Australia’s former top-20 star regarded something however a participant on the comeback path from a critical knee damage as she routed American teenager Clervie Ngounoue 6-0, 6-2 in little greater than an hour.
Saville broke the 17-year-old seven occasions, by no means confronted a single break level on her personal serve and completed with 16 winners and simply 13 unforced errors for the match.
“I was very composed,” Saville stated.
“When the day started I was pretty relaxed. I don’t know why — it doesn’t really happen on day one of a grand slam.
“Warming up earlier than the match I used to be like ‘Um, this looks like only a regular match’ and that felt good and I feel that’s the reason I performed nicely.”
Playing the Open on an injury-protected ranking after being sidelined for more than eight months, Saville knows she will need to find another level against Świątek on Thursday (AEST).
“Well, the largest objective is to not get double bageled,” she stated.
“I’m excited. Hopefully we’ll get to play on the massive court docket. When I used to be getting back from accidents that was just like the objective — get to play on all the larger courts at each slam and hopefully that will probably be ticked off.
“I think I can still make her life very uncomfortable. I will just play free and see what happens.
“Forehand is my weapon and, when it is working, that is when I’m harmful.
“Obviously I have to move well to get to use my forehand but today I also served pretty well, hit my spots well. It is part of my game hunting forehands.”
The Polish world number one Świątek took slightly below an hour to maintain Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1.
While Saville marched on, fellow Australian Storm Hunter’s match lasted however 65 minutes.
The West Australian wildcard bowed out 6-4, 6-0 to Czech tenth seed Karolina Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up.
Ajla Tomljanovic, Kim Birrell, Olivia Gadecki, Alexei Popyrin and males’s wildcard Rinky Hijikata additionally play on day one at Flushing Meadows.
AAP
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