Tennis: With “goosebumps”: top favorite Sabalenka at US Open

Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has started her desired title defense at the US Open with a little trouble, but successfully. According to problems in the first set, the Belarusian world rankings earned 7: 5, 6: 1 against the Swiss outsider Rebeka Masarova and thus entered the second round.

“When I won the set ball and cheered me on, I had goose bumps,” said Sabalenka, who is now meeting the Russian Polina Kudermetova, in the winner’s face to the audience at the Arthur Ashe stage.

Sabalenka was even 2: 3 behind in the first set after a loss of service, but then promptly fought back. She made the first set win perfectly when she successfully countered her opponent’s butterball ball. The second sentence then became a one -sided affair for the favorite. The world rankings 108. Masarova, who played with a bandage on the right arm, was increasingly lighter.

Sabalenka has already won three Grand Slam titles. This season the 27-year-old was in the final of the Australian Open and the French Open. As a final Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season, the US Open in New York are the last chance to get one of the four most important tennis titles in 2025.

German contingent as small as they have not been in 42 years

German participants were not yet in use on the first day of the tournament. Led by Alexander Zverev, only six German tennis professionals are at the start in the individual competitions-less in 1983 at one of the Grand Slam tournaments.

The US Open started this year for the first time on a Sunday instead of a Monday – like the Australian Open and the French Open.