Even Coco Gauff had to applaud a couple of times when her opponent hit some nifty shots.
There was the ball that Zeynep Sonmez tracked down deep in the corner and hit down the line on the run. There was a volley with unusual spin that just cleared the net for another point.
Many of the rest of the highlights belonged to Gauff.
The No. 4 seed opened her quest for a second US Open title on Tuesday by beating Sonmez 6-3, 6-4, regaining control of midway through the second set after her opponent from Turkey picked up her play.
‘I know that I can raise my level if I need to do and I like to challenge my opponent to let them keep up the level the whole match,’ Gauff said. ‘And if they do, I clap my hands and I walk off court with my head held high.’
Instead, she’s walking into a second-round match against either Paula Badosa or Daria Kasatkina.
No. 17 Alex Eala, men’s No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev and Gael Monfils, playing on his 40th birthday, were scheduled later Tuesday.
Gauff was battling serving woes when she arrived in Flushing Meadows last year and began working with a new coach on the eve of the tournament. There wasn’t time to fix her problems and Gauff had to battle though a rocky opener before getting easily ousted by Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
Gauff returned this year with the confidence and momentum of a serious contender, winning the title in Cincinnati after semifinal runs at Wimbledon and Toronto.
She also won the hard-court tournament in Cincinnati in 2023 before going on to become the first American teenager to win the U.S. Open title since Serena Williams in 1999, topping Aryna Sabalenka in the final