Elena Rybakina cruises Into US Open second round

NEW YORK: Second seed Elena Rybakina eased concerns over her fitness as she began her US Open campaign with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over American teenager Thea Frodin here at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday.

Rybakina had been a fitness doubt after withdrawing from the Cincinnati Open with a leg injury, raising questions over whether she would be fit enough to compete in New York.

However, the Kazakh looked comfortable throughout her opening-round contest and immediately strengthened her bid for a second US Open title and the world number one ranking.

The two-time Grand Slam champion broke Frodin in the sixth game to take control of the opening set before maintaining her authority in the second.

Frodin was making her Grand Slam main-draw debut and received strong support from the home crowd after fans endured almost four hours of rain delays before the match could begin on the Grandstand.

The teenager, who portrayed a young Serena Williams in the Oscar-winning film King Richard, showed glimpses of her potential and fired 11 aces.

However, she struggled to consistently challenge Rybakina in what was her first tour-level match.

Frodin produced one of the biggest reactions from the crowd when she saved three match points with consecutive aces in the penultimate game.

Rybakina then ended the contest with an ace of her own.

Kazakhstani also praised Frodin’s performance and admitted she was simply pleased to be back on court after her recent injury concerns.

Rybakina will next face either Czech player Darja Vidmanova or Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round.