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A16 sports
Wednesday 31 august 2022

Swiatek takes an easy first step in search of U.S. Open title

By BRIAN MAHONEY ter what," said Pegula, who
AP Sports Writer lost to Swiatek in the French
NEW YORK (AP) — Iga Swi- Open quarterfinals.
atek remembers when she Rybakina won the next
was hardly noticed, so she Grand Slam, but it didn't do
was excited to see a photo her any good in the rank-
of herself on an advertise- ings because no points
ment in Times Square. were awarded at Wimble-
Once little known, it's now don this year. The men's
bright lights, big city for the and women's tours took
No. 1 women's tennis play- that step after the All Eng-
er. land Club barred Russian
"Just trying to enjoy that and Belarussian players
because I remember times from competing because
where it was pretty hard for of the war in Ukraine.
anybody to see me or hear Rybakina, who was born in
me," Swiatek said. "Yeah, it Russia but represents Ka-
just shows how much prog- zakhstan, said before this
ress I have done on court, tournament she thought
but also off court that I am that was unfair, adding she
in such a spot." didn't even feel like a Wim-
Think how much bigger bledon champion. The No.
she'll be in New York if she 25 seed wasn't scheduled
wins the U.S. Open. like one in Flushing Mead-
The top seed took the first ows, with her opening
step Tuesday, beating Jas- Iga Swiatek, of Poland, returns a shot to Jasmine Paolini, of Italy, during the first round of the US match played on an outer
mine Paolini 6-3, 6-0 in a Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in New York. court.
little more than an hour. Associated Press No. 22 seed Karolina Plis-
Swiatek knows it won't be kova, the 2016 U.S. Open
easy to regain the form dressed Polish fans inside early on the second day day, a night after younger runner-up, needed a third-
that led her to 37 straight Louis Armstrong Stadium. of the tournament were sister Serena opened what set tiebreaker to edge
victories this year. But all it "For sure in first set at the be- No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka, could be the final tourna- Magda Linette, but No.
takes is seven to win anoth- ginning, you know, I played No. 8 Jessica Pegula and ment of her career with a 16 Jelena Ostapenko was
er Grand Slam title. a pretty solid game, but I No. 9 Garbiñe Muguruza. 6-3, 6-3 victory over Danka ousted by China's Zheng
Swiatek is just 5-4 since her needed to take it up to an- Wimbledon champion Ele- Kovinic. Qinwen.
winning streak that includ- other level," Swiatek said. na Rybakina lost 6-4, 6-4 to The U.S. Tennis Associa- Carlos Alcaraz moved into
ed a second French Open "I did that at the end and Clara Burel of France. tion announced Tuesday the second round when his
crown. But she looked in second set, so I'm pretty Venus Williams dropped the that Williams would lead opponent was forced to
sharp in rolling through the proud of that." first set of her match to Ali- off the night session again stop because of injury in the
second set in front of red- Other straight-set winners son Van Uytvanck on Tues- Wednesday in Arthur Ashe third set. The No. 3 seed led
Stadium, this time against Sebastian Baez 7-5, 7-5, 2-0
No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit. when the Argentine player
Swiatek said she watched motioned he couldn't con-
only two games of Williams' tinue because of leg pain
victory Monday, with an or cramps.
early start ahead of her. Alcaraz's U.S. Open ended
She is trying to become the last year in a similar man-
first player to win seven or ner. He reached the quar-
more titles in a season since terfinals at 18, the youngest
Serena did it in 2014. man to get that far in New
Swiatek may be toughest York in the professional era,
to beat on the red clay of before stopping in the sec-
Roland Garros, but she's ond set of his loss to Felix
already shown she can Auger-Aliassime because
handle the hard courts, of an upper right leg injury.
winning titles at Indian Wells No. 7 Cam Norrie and 17th-
and Miami earlier this year. seeded Grigor Dimitrov
"She's still No. 1 in the world won in straight sets on the
and still going to compete men's side, with No. 2 Ra-
really well and going to fael Nadal set to play Tues-
be tough to beat no mat- day night.q