Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen managed to overcome early serving difficulties to advance to the second round of the U.S. Open, securing a challenging 4-6 6-4 6-2 win against American wildcard Amanda Anisimova on Monday.
Seventh seed Zheng, who reached the quarterfinals in New York last year, claimed 73% of her first-serve points and successfully converted six out of 11 break-point opportunities during the two hour 20-minute match at Louis Armstrong Stadium, despite being broken four times. Anisimova initially surged ahead with a 5-1 double break lead in the first set, but Zheng fought back, breaking serve at love and fending off three set points before breaking again to level the match.
However, Anisimova, having failed to serve out the set twice, managed to break Zheng's serve a third time to take the first set. In the second set, Zheng appeared more at ease, particularly during a four-ace game that brought her to 2-2, and then broke Anisimova's serve to gain the upper hand, ultimately closing out the set with her serve.
Zheng quickly established a 3-0 double break lead in the final set, while Anisimova, who received treatment for her left foot and experienced discomfort in her right hand, could not mount a comeback. Zheng's next opponent will be Russia's Erika Andreeva.
