US OPEN – 1st round: Caroline Garcia authoritarian against Kamilla Rakhimova (6-2, 6-4)

Garcia without shaking

Victory against Kamilla Rakhimova, 6-2, 6-4

Caroline Garcia has a status to assume, that of winner of Cincinnati, and therefore a more than serious outsider in this US Open. And obviously, he does not bother her at the moment. Opposed to the Russian Kamilla Rakhimova (90th player in the world) for her entry into the running, the Lyonnaise showed great authority to win in two sets and 1h22 of play (6-2, 6-4).

In line with what she showed last week, the 17th player in the world played very well the vast majority of the time. Regular and efficient, the Habs did not allow doubt to settle when (small) doors were ajar on its face-off, which it settled in the second round – 76% of first, against 53% in the first set. Despite a slight drop in speed at the end of the match, she managed to complete as in Cincinnati: on her serve, leading a set 5-4. Provided that the comparison goes further. For that, he will first have to dismiss another Russian in the second round, Anna Kalinskaya.

Rinderknech wins the tricolor duel

Victory against Quentin Halys, 4-6, 7-6[4]6-3, 6-2

It has been more than three years since the two players had delivered their first confrontation on the circuit, which had turned to the advantage of Quentin Halys during … a challenger in Glasgow. There is no doubt that one will remember much more than this afternoon under the American sun, which turned to the advantage of Arthur Rinderknech, 58th player in the world. His opponent, 76th at ATP and from qualifying, had however started better by offering himself the first round.

He even offered himself a second set point, at 6-5, but missed the opportunity. The turning point of the meeting, undeniably. Because Rinderknech was much more solid in the tie-break which followed, then until the end of the meeting, with an entry break in the third set then a quiet fourth set. Halys has multiplied the faults too much to hope for better (65 against 23). His eldest will have a lot to do in the second round, against world number 1 and defending champion Daniil Medvedev.

The roller coaster for Tan

Loss against Bianca Andreescu, 6-0, 3-6, 6-1

A very difficult game to read. This is what Harmony Tan and Bianca Andreescu offered us on the GrandStand. The French, eighth finalist at Wimbledon, was first completely overwhelmed, conceding a “bubble” in the first round, during which she only gleaned eight tiny points. A slap which, rather than knocking him down, served as an electroshock to win the second set, which was the most disputed of the meeting.

But the break conceded at the start of the third round hurt him very badly. Especially since opposite, the 48th player in the world, beaten by Caroline Garcia in the Bad Homburg final at the start of the summer, was absolutely intractable on her serve, with 73% of first serves in the third set, all followed by a point won. The Canadian could rub shoulders with an opponent of another caliber in the second round: the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, 15th player in the world.