NEW YORK – Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz reached the second round of a sweltering US Open on Tuesday as former champions Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka prepared to light up the New York night.
World number one and French Open champion Swiatek eased past Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-0 in just 67 minutes.
Victory was a relief for the 21-year-old Pole who had suffered early losses at warm-up events in Toronto and Cincinatti.
“In matches, being a little bit stressed and tight, it can get a little bit worse, but still, I feel like my level is just better,” said Swiatek.
“We’ll see if I’m going to hold on to that.”
Alcaraz, the 19-year-old world number four, was made to sweat by battling Sebastian Baez, winning…
