Tennis-Sabalenka begins U.S. Open title defence with win over Masarova

By Janina Nuno Rios

NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - World number one Aryna Sabalenka began her U.S. Open title defence in style with a 7-5 6-1 win over Switzerland's Rebeka Masarova in the first round on Sunday.

The three-times major winner overcame a shaky start and struggled to find her range, grinding through a tense opening set before racing through the second, feeding off a vocal Arthur Ashe crowd.

"When I won that first set and you cheered me out I got goosebumps," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. "Your support means a lot to me, thank you for coming. It was an amazing atmosphere."

She had been tested early in the opener, dropping serve after back-to-back forehand errors before reclaiming the break when Masarova double-faulted. Despite landing just 50 percent of her first serves, she closed out the set on return, finishing with a winner at the net.

After showing flashes of frustration, the top seed quickly turned the tide in the second, jumping ahead as Masarova unravelled with three double faults to hand over an early break.

Sabalenka broke again in the same fashion, then consolidated with a second-serve ace. While the Swiss finally managed to hold, the damage was done as Sabalenka served out the match for her eighth consecutive win at Flushing Meadows.

"I'm happy to get this win and happy to be in the second round. I feel like I didn't start my best in the first games, but then I found my rhythm," she later told reporters.

"I love to be defending champion. For me, it's motivation, you know, and I want to do well.

"I want to do the same that I did last year. I want to feel those emotions, and I really worked hard for that. I hope that I'll be able to reach my goal here."

She will face Russia's Polina Kudermetova in the second round on Wednesday.

"She's a great player, nice girl, it's going to be a fierce battle," Sabalenka said of her opponent.