US Open: Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza secure early victories

Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza shined bright on Monday in the US Open after facing a rough patch in the New York matches and pulled off separate two-set victories in the opening round of the tournament.

Halep made a comeback by defeating Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Monday after two straight years of difficulties. Halep got first-round eliminations in 2017 and 2018 US Opens.

World seed number 9, Muguruza held off Donna Vekic in the opener match of the tournament and secured the game with a score of 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5).

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Halep missed the French Open and Wimbledon — the two major tournaments she has won — with a left calf injury, and her return to Grand Slam tennis came at the one where she had been in a slump, according to reports from Associated Press.

Muguruza, on the other hand, has secured titles like the Wimbledon and French Open competitions previously. However, she has missed out on reaching the semi-final stage of the US Open and was knocked out of the competition in the first round two years ago. Her performance in the 2021 US Open, which is currently underway, seems to be flagged off in a strong manner against competitor Vekic, who made her place in the quarterfinals of the 2019 US Open.

Monday’s US Open clashes were two of the earliest victories as the tournament welcomed back spectators after being playing last year without fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The grounds were packed throughout the day and figured to be again at night when defending women’s champion Naomi Osaka played her first-round match, according to reports from Associated Press.

On the other side of the US Open were Diego Schwartzman and Richard Berankis competing for an early win in the competition. Schwartzman, who is currently seeded at the 11th position in the world, secured a victory for himself after thrashing Berankis in straight sets on Monday.