US Open: Pegula, Paolini, Azarenka advance to second round with solid wins

New York, Aug 25 (IANS) Fourth seed Jessica Pegula advanced into the second round of the US Open with a straight-sets win over Egypt's Mayar Sherif.

Playing the night session match on Ashe Stadium, Pegula got off to a blistering start to win the first set 6-0. In the second set, Sherif found her rhythm and broke the American to take a 4-1 lead. However, Pegula regained her focus and her form to win five games in a row and complete the 6-0, 6-4 win in one hour and 15 minutes.

She will next meet Anna Blinkova, who defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-3, 6-1 in another first-round clash.

Meanwhile, No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini dismissed qualifier Destanee Aiava 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach the second round of the US Open for the third time in six main draw appearances.

After winning the first set 6-2, Paolini had to work a lot harder to overcome the spirited Australian in the second set as both players held their service games to take the set into a tiebreak.

The two-time Grand Slam runner-up's experience pulled her through for a 6-2, 7-6 (4) win to set up a second round showdown against the experienced 31-year-old Aliaksandra Sasnovich or rising teen Iva Jovic, WTA reports.

In another match, Victoria, making her 18th career appearance in New York, put her grit on display on Court 12 and worked her way past American qualifier Hina Inoue, 7-6(0), 6-4.

Playing her first match since Wimbledon, Azarenka battled through fatigue and a pesky main draw debutante to book her 49th career US Open win.

Azarenka finished the two hour and four-minute contest with 35 winners to 14 for Inoue, and she won 36 of 54 points that lasted four strokes or more.

She set up a second-round clash with either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Dayana Yastremska.

--IANS

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