• By Namrata Vijay
  • Fri, 30 Aug 2024 08:15 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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US Open 2024: The men's doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden had a flying start to their stint at the ongoing Grand Slam as they beat the Dutch pair of Robi Haase and Sander Arends 6-3, 7-5 in the first round. Being considered underdogs, Haase and Arends did try to give them a stiff challenge and tested Bopanna and Ebden in both sets but failed to perform in crucial moments.

The pair of Bopanna and Ebden, who showed brilliant coordination and tactical play were too much for the Dutch pair. Their experience helped them perform brilliantly at important junctures and then win the match in straight sets.

With this win, their hopes of reaching the summit clash like last year are kept alive. They are eyeing to lift the title this time and will aim to continue their heroics in the next few rounds.

Swiatek eases past Shibara

Iga Swiatek, who is currently the World No.1 tennis player stormed into the third round of the US Open after beating Japan's Ena Shabara 6-0, 6-1 in the second round on Thursday. Shibara couldn't handle Iga's aggressive groundstrokes and was seen struggling in the whole match.

Swiatek dominated the first set by not dropping a game and was relentless with her pace and precision. Although, the Japanese player did try to bounce back for a while by winning a game in the second set. But Swiatek then regained control and thus went on to win the match in straight sets.

“I wasn’t focusing on the score. I wanted to focus on technicalities and what I practiced yesterday and try to convert it to my match. Sometimes when it goes pretty quickly your mind can drift off and feel too safe. I was trying to stay in the zone. Whether it was 3-all or 6-0, it doesn’t matter. I just wanna keep playing the same way,” Swiatek told broadcasters in the post-match presentation.

"I felt the rhythm much better. I was a bit tense in my last match. Today I wanted to focus on the right things and focus on myself and what I wanna do on the court,” she concluded.

Her brutal display shows how much she wants to lift the title as she aims to go deeper in the ongoing Grand Slam. Swiatek will aim to continue with her heroics as she progresses to the next round.