New York (AFP) – The Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek confirmed her great moment this Monday by overwhelming the Chinese Wang Xiyu in her debut at the United States Open, where she will now face the Argentine Nadia Podoroska.

First modification: 09/01/2026 - 03:13

Swiatek, current world number eight, beat Wang (80th) 6-2, 6-3 at the start of the night session in New York.

Swiatek, champion of this Grand Slam in 2022, starred in a disappointing first half of the year but woke up on this North American hard court tour by winning the WTA 1000 trophy in Toronto and reaching the semifinals in Cincinnati.

The former world number one was very aggressive from the beginning, forcing the Chinese to commit up to 16 unforced errors in the first set.

Swiatek did not give up a single break opportunity in the hour and 28 minutes of play on the Louis Armstrong court, the second largest at Flushing Meadows.

Her rival in the second round will be Argentina's Podoroska, world number 449.

The Rosario came back from a set down against the Swiss Simona Waltert (world 89) to claim victory 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) and 6-3.

At age 29, Podoroska won her first match at the US Open on her sixth attempt.

© 2026 AFP

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