Iga Swiatek kicked off her title defense with an emphatic victory over Rebecca Peterson in the first round of the US Open, while Maria Sakkari lost her Grand Slam opener for the third consecutive time.
The top-seeded Swiatek breezed past Sweden’s Peterson 6-0 6-1 in just 58 minutes. The Pole is now 18-1 in first-round matches at majors, including a 5-0 record in New York; her 94.74 win percentage in R128 is the best among active players.
The world No.86 Peterson was facing a world No.1 player for the first time in her career and has now lost all her three encounters with Swiatek. The last time a Swedish player defeated the WTA world No.1 was at 2011 Bastad when Sofia Arvidsson defeated Caroline Wozniacki (via retirement).
Bidding to win her fifth Grand Slam title, Swiatek will face Australia’s Daria Saville in the second round.
Eighth seed Maria Sakkari was upset by Rebeka Massarova of Spain 6-4 6-4, despite having a 4-1 lead in the first set. Masarova recorded her first victory in five attempts against a Top 10 opponent.
This is Sakkari’s third straight first-round loss at a Grand Slam. Interestingly, the Greek has not progressed beyond the fourth round at a major tournament since cracking the Top 10 in September 2021. Her one and only WTA title came in Rabat in 2019.
