Sabalenka is aiming to turn out to be the primary girl since Serena Williams in 2014 to efficiently defend the singles title in New York.
She has reached at the least the final 4 in every of the three Grand Slams thus far this season, shedding the finals of each the French and Australian Open.
However the three-time Grand Slam singles champion arrived at Flushing Meadows on the again of an unconvincing Cincinnati Open show, the place she scraped previous Emma Raducanu earlier than shedding to Elena Rybakina.
In an uneasy begin, Sabalenka was damaged within the fifth recreation of the primary set by Masarova, earlier than responding instantly to stage at 3-3.
It remained on serve till Sabalenka earned a set level at 6-5 up – one which Masarova thought she had saved, just for the highest seed to provide a shocking defensive return to the Swiss’s overhead smash.
It compelled Masarova right into a lobbed return, which Sabalenka despatched crashing down the road with a roar to take the primary set.
Masarova, the world quantity 108, was deflated from there on and held serve simply as soon as within the second set as Sabalenka raced to victory.
“I really feel like I did not begin my finest within the first video games, however then I discovered my rhythm,” Sabalenka mentioned.
The Belarusian will face Polina Kudermetova subsequent, the Russian advancing after opponent Nuria Parrizas-Diaz of Spain retired with harm.
