NEW YORK — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek powered into the second round of the U.S. Open, beating Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-0.
No. 8-seeded American Jessica Pegula also raced through her opening match, like Swiatek needing just more than an hour before beating Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-2.
Swiatek is just 5-4 since her 37-winning streak earlier this year, but the two-time French Open champion got sharper as the match went on Tuesday while supported by a number of Polish fans wearing red inside Louis Armstrong Stadium.
She is trying to become the first player since Serena Williams in 2014 to win seven titles in a year.
A day after Serena Williams won her opening match at the U.S. Open, sister Venus will begin her tournament on the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek was among the players on court when the second day of the event began Tuesday morning. Garbiñe Muguruza and Jelena Ostapenko were other Grand Slam champions with early starts.
Play in Ashe was set to begin at noon with No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz facing Sebastian Baez of Argentina. Then it was the 42-year-old Venus Williams, returning to the tournament she first won 25 years ago. She facing Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium after a one-year absence at Flushing Meadows.
Rafael Nadal was in night action, along with defending women's champion Emma Raducanu and two-time winner Naomi Osaka.
