Australia women’s No 1 Daria Kasatkina has overcome a shaky start to ease into the second round while late bloomers Priscilla Hon and Adam Walton are savouring breakout wins on day two at the US Open.
Kasatkina took time to get going before outclassing Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse 7-5 6-1 to set up a second-round meeting with former Russian compatriot Kamilla Rakhimova.
The 15th seed dropped her first two service games of the first set and was broken once more by Ruse before holding on for a one-set lead.
But Kasatkina, who changed allegiances from Russia to Australia in March, found her feet in the second set to defeat Ruse in an hour and 18 minutes on Monday (Tuesday AEST).
“I have to be honest, I could do better,” Kasatkina said. “We’re tennis players but we also have stuff going on outside the tennis court. There’s always something going on in your life.
“Most of the time if you bring it on court then you have to fight those things in your head. I’ve had a lot of changes in the past year, which was not easy to manage. I hope it’s going to be a bit calmer.”
Six years after debuting at Flushing Meadows and on her third attempt, Hon finally broke through with a 6-3 7-5 victory over Frenchwoman Leolia Jeanjean.
The 27-year-old qualifier was left overjoyed.
“It’s my favourite slam apart from the Australian Open so, yeah, can’t be much happier right now,” Hon said. “I love New York, everything about it.
“Like the fans, everyone that comes to watch, there’s so much energy and it’s so chaotic and there’s so much happening.
Hon will hit a new career-high after the tournament but isn’t done yet, vowing to go out swinging against Russian 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova.
Fellow Brisbane battler Walton also sent a more-fancied French opponent packing, taking down 22nd seed Ugo Humbert 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-1 for the biggest win of his career.
Walton’s victory follows a titanic win over former world No 1 and 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in Cincinnati and will send the 26-year-old to a career-high of at least No 74 in the world.
“I’ve had a great American summer,” Walton said. “I feel more comfortable being back on the hard courts, and I’m just glad that this American summer I’ve really been able to capitalise on some good matches and some good wins.
“Last year was was horrible. I didn’t win a match. But I’m just feeling very happy with where my game’s at right now.”
Hon and Walton can look forward to the biggest pay days yet, a minimum $US154,000 ($A237,000).
Walton has a huge opportunity to go even deeper in the draw when he faces Hong Kong qualifier Coleman Wong, the world No 176, for a place in the last 32 at a slam for the first time.
The Australia trio join Jordan Thompson in the second round but Aleksandar Vukic, James Duckworth and wildcard Talia Gibson all bowed out.
Vukic lost a three-and-three-quarter-hour thriller 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 3-6 6-4 to American Jenson Brooksby, Duckworth succumbed 7-5 6-3 6-4 to US wildcard Tristan Boyer and Gibson fell 6-2 6-2 against Polish 28th seed Magdalena Frech.
Big guns Alex de Minaur, the men’s eighth seed, and Alexei Popyrin open their campaigns on Wednesday (AEST).
