Swiatek off the mark as Sakkari falls at first hurdle

Iga Swiatek launched the defence of her US Open crown with an emphatic opening victory on Monday while there was no such luck for Greece's eighth seed Maria Sakkari.

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Swiatek, bidding to become the first woman to successfully defend the US Open title since Serena Williams won a hat-trick of titles from 2012-2014, needed less than an hour to defeat Sweden's Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1.

The 22-year-old world No 1 from Poland overwhelmed her opponent with five breaks of serve and 20 winners to complete victory in just 58 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I wanted to start the tournament with everything I was focusing on. I was happy to play a great game, with all the pressure and expectations I was happy on the court," said Swiatek after her win.

Swiatek, targeting her fifth Grand Slam title, will face Daria Saville of Australia in round two.

SAKKARI FALLS AT FIRST HURDLE

While Swiatek advanced safely, there was no such luck for Greece's eighth seed Maria Sakkari, who became the highest-ranked casualty of early round action, beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Spain's Rebeka Masarova, ranked 71st in the world.

Eighteenth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was among the first women to book their place in the second round, swatting aside French wild card entrant Fiona Ferro 6-1, 6-2 in early play on Monday.

Tenth seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic also made it safely through, blowing away Australia's Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-0 in 1hr 5mins.

Elsewhere in the women's draw on Monday, US teenager Coco Gauff takes centre-stage with a night game against German qualifier Laura Siegemund, looking for a breakthrough first major win.

The 19-year-old American arrives in New York in blistering form after winning titles in Washington and Cincinnati.