Gauff starts US Open defence with routine win

Defending champion Coco Gauff says she is treating this year's US Open arsenic a "victory lap" aft comfortably beating Varvara Gracheva successful her opening match.

Gauff, 20, began her title defence pinch a 6-2 6-0 triumph successful conscionable 66 minutes connected Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The American beat Aryna Sabalenka successful past year's final to triumph her first Grand Slam and followed that by reaching nan semi-finals of nan Australian Open and French Open this year.

But she has struggled for shape recently, losing successful nan 3rd information of nan Paris Olympics earlier suffering early exits astatine tournaments successful Cincinnati and Toronto.

Gauff said nan past fewer weeks person "been a small spot tough", but she believed her capacity against Gracheva was "the champion tennis I person played successful a while".

She added that a fan's remark connected her TikTok relationship had helped alteration her position coming into nan US Open.

"Someone commented connected my TikTok saying you've won successful life, virtually and figuratively, and there's nary constituent successful piling unit connected yourself connected a triumph lap," Gauff said successful her on-court interview.

"I'm conscionable treating this tourney for illustration that and if you take sides thing that intends you won something."

Gauff, who fired down 10 aces, collapsed Gracheva's service doubly successful nan opening group and won nan past 9 games connected her measurement to an emphatic victory.

She will look German seasoned Tatjana Maria successful nan 2nd information aft nan 37-year-old moved past Argentine qualifier Solana Sierra 6-2 6-3.

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen fought backmost from a group down to hit world number 50 Amanda Anisimova 4-6 6-4 6-2 connected Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Anisimova raced into a 5-1 lead early connected but doubly grounded to service retired nan first set, earlier breaking Chinese seventh seed Zheng for nan 3rd clip successful nan lucifer to yet return it 6-4.

But Zheng, a small complete 3 weeks connected from her Olympic triumph successful Paris, recovered good and served superbly from past connected to adjacent retired victory.

Daria Kasatkina, nan 12th seed, hit Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-2 6-4 to advancement to information two, while Ukraine's 27th seed Elina Svitolina came done successful 3 sets against Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina.

Ninth seed Maria Sakkari of Greece is out, though, retiring injured aft losing nan first group of her first-round lucifer to Wang Yafan.

Sakkari received curen from nan trainer to her enarthrosis and cervix midway done nan first set, and was incapable to proceed into a second.

Second seed Sabalenka plays successful nan evening convention against qualifier Priscilla Hon of Australia.

Australian Open champion Sabalenka pulled retired of Wimbledon earlier this summertime because of a enarthrosis wounded and past missed nan Olympics to "take attraction of her health".

Sloane Stephens, nan 2017 winner, starts nan evening convention connected Arthur Ashe Stadium against Clara Burel of France (00:00 BST).

World number 1 Iga Swiatek and Great Britain's Emma Raducanu, nan 2021 US Open champion, are among nan players scheduled to beryllium successful first-round action connected Tuesday.