World No. 1 Iga Swiatek from Poland overcame a series of unforced errors to secure her place in the second round of the US Open with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova on Tuesday. Swiatek, the 2022 US Open champion, converted three of her six break-point opportunities but also accumulated 41 unforced errors during the match, which lasted 1 hour and 52 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The five-time Grand Slam champion established a 4-0 double-break lead and appeared set for an easy win, but Rakhimova managed to consolidate a break to close the gap before Swiatek sealed the first set with her third love hold of the match.
Swiatek maintained an early break in the second set with another love hold for a 3-1 lead, but began to show signs of frustration as her shots went awry and Rakhimova refused to relent. “At the beginning, I felt good, but then I got super tight… so I was trying to get back to my game,” Swiatek remarked in her post-match interview on court.
Swiatek had the opportunity to serve for the match, but Rakhimova broke back to level the second set at 5-5. The set proceeded to a tiebreak, during which Swiatek saved three set points before ultimately advancing to the second round. She will next face either Australian Daria Saville or Japan’s Ena Shibahara.
