Simona Halep eases into second round, Lucie Safarova ousted

ByReuters

Updated 01/09/2015 at 22:06 GMT

Romanian second seed Simona Halep followed the same express path into the second round of the U.S.

Simona Halep of Romania reacts to a shot against Marina Erakovic of New Zealand during their 2015 US Open Women's Singles round 1 match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 1, 2015 in New York. Second seed Halep reached the US Ope

Image credit: AFP

Open as Serena Williams, advancing 6-2 3-0 after New Zealand's Marina Erakovic retired with a knee injury on Tuesday.

The in-form Halep, who reached the finals at U.S. Open tune-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati, barely broke a sweat on a sunny Arthur Ashe Stadium court, needing a mere 47 minutes to see off the 99th ranked New Zealander.

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Top seed Williams, bidding to complete a calendar sweep of the four grand slams, advanced on Monday in similar fashion as she was up 6-0 2-0 when Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko was forced to retire hurt.

While the top two women's seeds steered clear of trouble, upsets continued up and down the women's draw for a second consecutive day as sixth seed and French Open finalist Lucie Safarova fell 6-4 6-1 to Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.

Czech Republic reacts against Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine on Day Two of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 1, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City

Image credit: AFP

With the loss, Safarova joins a number of first round casualties that already includes Serbian seventh seed Ana Ivanovic, eighth seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova and 10th-seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.

"I wasn't surprised (by the upsets), it is normal," said 23-year-old Halep. "Everyone is fighting like crazy because it's the last grand slam (of the year). When you play the grand slam you have just to give everything you have.

"I had this year already two grand slams where I lost in first and the second round, so like I say always, everything can happen."

Results

18-Andrea Petkovic (Germany) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 3-6 6-4 7-5

32-Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) beat Julia Goerges (Germany) 6-3 6-4

9-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Carina Witthoeft (Germany) 6-2 6-4

Mona Barthel (Germany) beat Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 5-7 7-6(4) 6-1

20-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) 6-1 6-2

Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) beat Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) 6-0 6-3

Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) beat Annika Beck (Germany) 6-4 1-6 6-4

Camila Giorgi (Italy) beat Johanna Larsson (Sweden) 6-3 6-3

Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat Laura Robson (Britain) 3-6 6-3 7-5

4-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat Jamie Loeb (U.S.) 6-2 6-0