No. 14 seed, Maria Sharapova, survived a 3-set scare in her match against No. 60 ranked, Jarmila Groth, while 4th seed, Jelena Jankovic was given a huge scare by 18-year-old Romanian Simona Halep.
Sharapova overcame a deficit and a big-hitting opponent to avoid a significant upset in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Sharapova, the 2006 champion at Flushing Meadows, played solidly and often safely while putting together a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over 60th-ranked Jarmila Groth of Australia on Tuesday.
Groth hit 14 double-faults, including on the final point of the second set. She was by far the more aggressive of the two, taking risks that sometimes paid off and sometimes did not. She hit 24 winners to 19 for Sharapova, and made 48 unforced errors to 17 for Sharapova.
“She came out firing; didn’t give me many opportunities,” said Sharapova. “You just want to hang in there, get through it.”
Jankovic was able to survive the afternoon heat and dug in to win 6-4 4-6 7-5. Her opponent, Halep, failed to qualify in Cincinnati, Montreal and New Haven in the build-up to Flushing Meadows, but came within two points of claiming the biggest win of her career. Jankovic made 48 unforced errors to her opponent’s 36 and sent down seven doubles faults in an error-strewn display.
The 2008 runner-up was clearly troubled by the stifling temperatures and swirling wind on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and looked to be on the way out when Halep came from a set down to level the match and broke for a 5-4 lead in the third.
But Jankovic broke back, held serve for a 6-5 lead and then secured the 15th break of the match to seal victory.
“It was really a tough match,” said the former world number one. “I had to get used to conditions. It was really hot and quite windy. I was a little bit nervous, so I’m very happy to get through.”
“For me, first match is always the toughest. She played really well and I had to work for every point. I wasn’t playing my best tennis so I’m lucky to get through and have a chance to play another match.”
