It’s not easy to attack a Grand Slam tournament when you suddenly become the number 1 outsider, but Caroline Garcia perfectly negotiated her first round at the US Open, on court 17 at Flushing Meadows. Well protected by her status as seeded 17, the French easily eliminated Kamilla Rakhimova, lucky loser and 90th player in the world. The score (6-2, 6-4) and the duration of the match (1h21) give a clear idea of his scenario. A one-sided match, where Garcia developed, without overplaying, the tennis that allowed him to win the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. A lot of control, no negative emotion: an ideal introduction.
4-0 after 14 minutes
The French entered the game like a cannonball: she was already leading 4-0 after fourteen minutes. Serene in service, as usual aggressive in return, she had won sixteen of the first nineteen points. Already dominated (6-3, 6-4) by Garcia in Bad Homburg, on grass, in June, Rakhimova could only suffer the speed of her opponent’s ball. We felt powerless to reverse the course of the match.
The first set in the pocket (6-2), the 17th in the world did not deviate from her pattern of play. And it was once again the sharpness of her return of service that made the difference to 2 everywhere in the second set. A passing forehand cross sealed the break (3-2). Her margin was so large that she was able to let a double break point slip away without damage. Garcia signed his success with a shutout and a high forehand volley. His stats perfectly sum up his unchallenged domination: 69% of first serves, 32 winning shots (including 6 aces) and 15 out of 20 points won at the net. She will face in the second round, Wednesday, Anna Kalinskaya (60th), faller of Rebecca Peterson 6-4, 6-3.