Caroline Wozniacki has staged a remarkable comeback to win through to the US Open third round.
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The romp continued into the second set, where Kerber quickly built up a 4-1 lead.
Spaniard Muguruza has never been past the second round at Flushing Meadows.
After a blistering start to the year when he won the majors in Australia and France, he has been struggling for form and was ousted in the third round at Wimbledon before crashing to a shock first-round exit at the Olympic Games.
Down two breaks in the second set, Muguruza saved two match points and rallied to get the set back on serve.
Sevastova was relieved not to let her opportunity slip.
“I know if I’m down I can turn around the match. For me, I was a little bit short then, so she had the chance to go for it”.
Djokovic, the world number one and defending champion, was tested in his first-round match against Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz on Monday.
Bondarenko earlier advanced to the third round with a tight 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 victory over China’s Saisai Zheng.
On the women’s side, second-seeded Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champ, meets Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
However, the Australian Open champion suffered an uncharacteristic slump to allow Lucic-Baroni – whose own erratic performance was highlighted by 37 winners and 55 unforced errors – back into the match and the Croat even had two set points to force a decider.
Vinci stunned Serena Williams in last year’s semifinals to thwart her bid for the first Grand Slam since 1988, then lost to countrywoman Flavia Pennetta in the final.
The second seed appeared on course for a dominant victory on Louis Armstrong Stadium having outplayed her opponent to move into a 6-2 4-1 lead in hot NY conditions. “I played my game”.
The former world number 32 struggled to hold serve once again at the start of the second set, quickly trailing at 0-40, but she saved one of the break points in a nine shot rally with a sweet forehand victor, however, the Croat had the open court to put a backhand volley away but placed it, into the net to give Kerber the break in the opening game of the second set.
Lucic-Baroni had Kerber on the stretch once again causing a forehand forced error, and a backhand forced error gave the former top 35 player a lead in the set for the first time at 5-4. However, the Dane – a two-time U.S. Open runner-up – battled back for a 6-4, 6-4 victory, a reward for an aggressive approach as 24 winners outweighed 17 unforced errors.
Kerber next faces American qualifier Catherine Bellis.
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The seventh-seeded Italian beat American Christina McHale 6-1, 6-3 on Wednesday.
