Second seed Angelique Kerber overcame a late scare to defeat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-2, 7-6(7), in the second round of the US Open.
The Australian Open champion was on course for a one-sided victory as she lead by a set and 4-1, before her opponent worked her way back into the match. Lucic-Baroni, who is best known for reaching the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships at the age of 17, had a trio of opportunities to take the match to a deciding set, but failed to convert her chances as Kerber held her nerve to clinch the match in straight sets.
“I was feeling good in the first set.” Kerber said. “The first few games in the second I was playing well. I know that she is always fighting for the last point and she played better and better during the match.”
“I was trying to stay positive, trying to be focused and fight until the last points. It’s nice to be in the next round.”
Awaiting Keber in the third round will be either Cici Bellis or Shelby Rogers. A strong run at Flushing Meadows this year could elevate the German to world No.1 depending on how Serena Williams performs in the tournament.
Another player to survive a scare was former finalist Caroline Wozniacki, who grabbed her first top 10 win of the season. Facing ninth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the former world No.1 rallied from 1-4 down to defeat the Russian 6-4, 6-4.
Wozniacki’s triumph comes after what has been a troublesome year on the tour. Hampered by an ankle injury during the clay court season, the Dane has slipped down to 74th in the world, her lowest position since September 2007. Regardless of those woes, Wozniacki has said that she never considered quitting the sport.
”I wasn’t thinking about quitting. I mean I know that I have a lot of opportunities, I have a lot of other interests and my life is going to be good regardless. But I’m still young. Hopefully I have a few more years in me.” She said in her press conference.
In the next round Wozniacki will play Romania’s Monica Niculescu, who crushed compatriot Ana Bogdan 6-0, 6-1.
In other matches at Flushing Meadows, Joanna Konta collapsed during her match due to the conditions, but still managed to defeat Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Petra Kvitova overcame a tricky opening set to defeat Turkey’s Cagla Buyukakcay 7-6(2), 6-3. Finally, Roberta Vinci required just 65 minutes to defeat Christina McHale 6-1, 6-3.
Full list of results
Roberta Vinci (7), Italy, def. Christina McHale, United States, 6-1, 6-3.
Belinda Bencic (24), Switzerland, def. Andrea Petkovic, Germany, 6-3, 6-2.
Lesia Tsurenko, Ukraine, def. Wang Yafan, China, 7-5, 6-3.
Petra Kvitova (14), Czech Republic, def. Cagla Buyukakcay, Turkey, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
Elina Svitolina (22), Ukraine, def. Lauren Davis, United States, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
Dominika Cibulkova (12), Slovakia, def. Evgeniya Rodina, Russia, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2.
Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, def. Svetlana Kuznetsova (9), Russia, 6-4, 6-4.
Monica Niculescu, Romania, def. Ana Bogdan, Romania, 6-0, 6-1.
Carina Witthoeft, Germany, def. Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-1.
Johanna Konta (13), Britain, def. Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Naomi Osaka, Japan, def. Duan Ying-Ying, China, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Angelique Kerber (2), Germany, def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Croatia, 6-2, 7-6 (7).
