The US Open kicked off today at 11 am EST and in the first match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium the third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska completely overwhelmed Silvia Soler-Espinosa in 63 minutes, 6-1 6-2. The 69th-ranked Soler-Espinosa won the first two games of the second set, but Radwanska overcame the wobble and passed into the second round with ease. This is the only Grand Slam at which Radwanska has never made the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the fifth-seeded Li Na also needed just minutes over an hour to finish her match against Olga Govortsova with result 6-2 6-2. The US Open has been the least successful Grand Slam for Li, who has passed the fourth round only once.
The victory of seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams followed, as the American avenged her bizarre first-round defeat of a few weeks ago in Toronto, when she lost to Kirsten Flipkens after bageling her in the first set. Today, the 12th-seeded Flipkens went down 6-1 6-2 in the US Open opener. The Belgian so far hasn’t made past the third round of the Grand Slam. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)
