World No. 1 Iga Swiatek delivered a masterclass 💥 at the US Open on Thursday, demolishing Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-0, 6-1 in just 61 minutes. The Polish star, already a three-time champion at Flushing Meadows, showcased her trademark precision and focus to breeze through the second round.
After a rocky first-round match filled with unforced errors, Swiatek flipped the script 🔄: 'I just felt the rhythm much better today,' she said post-match. Her first-serve accuracy hit 89% in the opening set, leaving Shibahara—ranked outside the top 200—struggling to keep up. 🚀
Shibahara briefly rallied in the second set, saving three break points to avoid a 6-0, 6-0 'double bagel' defeat. But Swiatek’s relentless play proved unstoppable, closing out the match with five consecutive games. 🎯
'I wanted to stay in the zone no matter the score,' Swiatek emphasized. Next up? A third-round clash against either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Elisabetta Cocciaretto. 👀
In other action, China’s Wang Xinyu fell to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in straight sets, exiting the tournament.
