NEW YORK: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen overcame early serving woes to move into the second round of the US Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over American wildcard Amanda Anisimova on Monday.

Seventh seed Zheng, a quarter-finalist in New York last year, won 73% of her first-serve points and converted six of her 11 break-point chances during a two hour 20-minute match at Louis Armstrong Stadium where she was broken four times.

Anisimova raced out to a 5-1 double break lead in the first set but then had to dig deep as Zheng broke back at love, turned aside three set points on her next serve and then broke again to get the match back on serve.

But Anisimova, having twice failed to serve out the set, found another way as she broke a misfiring Zheng for a third time to grab the first frame.

In the second set, Zheng suddenly looked more comfortable from the line, including during a four-ace game to reach 2-2 before she broke in the next game to put Anisimova on the back foot and then leaned on her serve to close out the frame.

Zheng jumped out to a double break 3-0 lead in the decider while Anisimova, who had her left foot tended to before the set and at one point winced after a shot due to discomfort in her right hand, was unable to find her way back.

Up next for Zheng will be a clash with Russia’s Erika Andreeva, who beat China’s Yuan Yue 6-3, 7-6 (9/7).

“Obviously she’s hitting the ball really good today,” Zheng said of Anisimova, who is on the upswing since returning from a mental health break in January — when she was ranked 373rd in the world.

A run to the final at Toronto this month saw her return to the top 50 and gain a wild card invitation into the main draw.

“Every ball (from Anisimova) went inside in the beginning and I couldn’t do anything,” Zheng said. “More as the match goes I started to find my rhythm on hard court. Little by little I started to get into the rhythm.”

Zheng, who finished runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open in January, has said she didn’t want the same let-down that followed that performance happen in the wake of her groundbreaking Paris Games triumph.

Asked on court about her run to gold — which made her China’s first Olympic tennis singles champion — she was gracious but already looking forward.

“I’m happy what I did in the past, but right now I just want to focus on what I do here,” said Zheng, who could face Sabalenka again in the quarter-finals.

In the men’s draw at Flushing Meadows on Monday, Dominic Thiem of Austria — who was competing in his final US Open match — lost to American Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Wild card Thiem, who is set to retire later this year, held a 23-9 record at the fourth major of the season, highlighted by the run to his maiden Grand Slam trophy in 2020.

Reaching the semi-finals last year, the 21-year-old Shelton used his effective serve and exuberance off the ground to diffuse his experienced opponent.

The 30-year-old Thiem has seen his rankings drop significantly after having wrist surgery in 2021. Thiem is currently ranked No. 210 in the world.

Shelton, who will need a big result during the fortnight to maintain his ranking, will next face Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated Luca Nardi 7-5, 7-6(7/3) , 7-6(7/5), for a place in the third-round.

Elsewhere, former finalist Alexander Zverev dropped a set but still advanced with ease against compatriot Maximillian Marterer 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2.

Zverev slammed 21 aces, won 79 per cent of his first serve points and broke his opponent’s serve on six occasions.

Other results on the day saw No. 17 seed Ugo Humbert and Francisco Comesana reach the second round.

Humbert downed Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 while Comesana beat Dominic Stricker 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7/4), 6-3.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024