Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova (left) and Garbine Muguruza of Spain greet each other after their second round match. Sevastova won 7-5, 6-4. (Photo: AFP)
Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna made rampaging starts to their campaigns at the US Open by advancing to the second round with their respective partners after notching up contrasting wins at the Flushing Meadows here.
Defending champions in mixed doubles, Paes and Switzerland’s Martina Hingis prevailed over USA’s Sachia Vickery and Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-2 in just 51 minutes.
They will next take on the winner of the match between Anastasia Rodionova of Australia and Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Cabal and seventh seeded American pair of Coco Vandeweghe and Rajeev Ram.
In the women’s doubles, seventh seeds Sania and her Czech partner Barbora Strycova defeated USA’s Jada Myii Hart and Ena Shibahara 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and nine minutes.
The duo will meet the winner of the match between Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic and USA’s Nicole Melichar and the US-German combo of Madison Brengle and Tatjana Maria.
The men’s doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Frederik Nielsen of Denmark also reached the second round with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 win over 16th seeds Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic and Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic.
The Indo-Dane pair will square off against USA’s Brian Baker and New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell next.
