US Open: Angelique Kerber Makes Short Work of Ailing Polona Hercog
Angelique Kerber was leading 6-0, 1-0 when 120th-ranked Polona Hercog of Slovenia called it quits in the sultry heat of Flushing Meadows' Arthur Ashe Stadium.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: August 30, 2016 01:52 PM IST
Highlights
- Angelique Kerber has entered the second round of women's singles
- Caroline Wozniacki had to fight hard to enter Round 2
- Kerber won the Australian Open crown earlier this year
Second-seeded German Angelique Kerber made a definitive start to her US Open campaign on Monday, reaching the second round when Polona Hercog retired without winning a game.
Kerber, who toppled Serena Williams to lift theAustralian Open crown in January and fell to the American in the Wimbledon final, was leading 6-0, 1-0 when 120th-ranked Hercog of Slovenia called it quits in the sultry heat of Flushing Meadows' Arthur Ashe stadium court.
Kerber, who could topple Williams from atop the world rankings in the final Grand Slam of the season, next faces either France's Alize Cornet or Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
Later, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark beat local player Taylor Townsend 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at Grandstand to enter the women's singles second round.
The first match on Grandstand was one to remember! @CaroWozniacki knocks off @TaylorTownsend 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. #usopen pic.twitter.com/KsxgZ0067J
- US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 29, 2016
Earlier, Cagla Buyukakcay was the first player to punch a second-round ticket as the US Open tennis championships got underway on Monday, with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Irina Falconi.
Turkey's Buyukakcay, ranked 66th in the world, needed just 59 minutes to get past America's Falconi and set up a second-round meeting with either two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the 14th seed, or Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko.