Sloane Stephens delivered an efficient 6-3 6-3 win over Mihaela Buzarnescu on Tuesday to advance to the second round of the U.S. Open.
The 2017 champion, seeded 26th this year, smacked a backhand winner on match point to see off the Romanian after an hour and 16 minutes.
Buzarnescu contributed to her own downfall with seven double faults on a humid night on Court 17.
Next up for Stephens is Olga Govortsova, who the American has defeated in both of their career meetings, with Serena Williams looming as a possible opponent in the third round.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
