World No.1 Ash Barty showcased her incredible form once again and eased past 2010 runner-up Vera Zvonareva in the first round of the 2021 US Open. Barty beat Zvonareva in straight sets 6-1,7-6(7) and extended her winning streak to 6 matches. She is coming into Flushing Meadows with a title triumph at Cincinnati last week.
Barty has been in amazing form this season and has already won Wimbledon this season. She is coming into New York as an overwhelming favorite to win the title alongwith Naomi Osaka and proved her mettle in the first round. She started the match on a very positive note and broke Zvonareva upfront to take an early lead. The Aussie was dominant on the baseline and targeted the Russian’s backhand, pushing her deep and opening the court for clean winners. With multiple break of serves, she won the opening set easily 6-1.
The second set was a lot more competitive than the first. Zvonareva predicted Barty’s shot selection well and was a lot more aggressive than the first set. She matched Barty shot by shot in the rallies and held serve well.
The set at the end went into a tiebreaker and there was very less separating the two. The two were once again tied 6-6 at the second changeover but Barty held her nerve brilliantly to sneak a mini-break and eventually won the set 7-6(7).
Barty will now face Clara Tauson in the second round of the 2021 US Open on Thursday.
Also read: US Open 2021: Teenage sensation Emma Raducanu storms into the second round, beats Stefanie Vogele
