NEW YORK: Defending champion Iga Swiatek made a confident start to her title defence, brushing aside Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1 on the opening day of the US Open on Monday.

Swiatek, whose grip on top spot is under threat from Aryna Sabalenka in New York, needed just 58 minutes to dispose of the 86th-ranked Peterson. The Pole, bidding for her fifth Grand Slam title, goes on to face Daria Saville of Australia in round two. She is now 18-1 in first-round matches at majors. But eighth seed Maria Sakkari was stunned 6-4, 6-4 by world number 71 Rebeka Masarova.

And in the men’s draw former champion Dominic Thiem knocked out 25th seed Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to grab his first opening round victory in a Grand Slam since the 2021 Australian Open.

In her post-match interaction, Swiatek said, “I feel like everything that is going on around us it is taking away our attention and what we want to achieve with our games and careers. I want to remind myself that I want to develop as a player. The numbers and stats don’t really matter to me. I’m just trying to focus on my performance.”