Azarenka cruises to straight sets win over Ferro at US Open

Victoria Azarenka celebates her first-round win over Fiona Ferro at the US Open. 

Victoria Azarenka took care of business in her classic style at the US Open on Monday. The former world number one handled her opening round against Fiona Ferro in a 6-1, 6-2 result at Louis Armstrong Stadium at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center.

The 34-year-old made her 16th appearance in Flushing Meadows, hoping to brush off a rough performance in the second half of the hard court season. The former world number one failed to make the second round in tournaments, marking her 11th of 12 in Cincinnati last week. 

Despite being a three-time finalist, Azarenka looked to handle Ferro, who gained a wild card to enter the main draw. The Frenchwoman carried a 7-10 record in first-round majors but won over 40 matches this season in WTA and ITF events. In their first meeting, the 26-year-old looked to make another good impression like she did against Iga Swiatek one year ago.

Azarenka conducted a strong start to the match, taking her time to smash the ball and positioning well on the court for the break. Ferro broke back in the second, but the 18th seed regained charge of the scoreboard on a second break of serve. Picking up the pace, Azarenka held serve in the fourth while Ferro continued to play the ball, but made no major redirects to challenge the former world number one.

It was 4-1 for the 34-year-old, who found the game going to deuce on a couple of overplayed shots. She handled the situation and remained focused to lead 5-1 after overcoming the 0-40 deficit against Ferro. She went after the Frenchwoman on serve to blast the winners and get the set over and done with after 42 minutes. Azarenka notched 18 winners in total and dominated near the net with 8 of 11 points won.

She rolled into the second set, controlling the pace with Ferro, who couldn’t find a way to dig in. Before the Frenchwoman realized what happened, four games swept by, all going in Azarenka’s favor. The 26-year-old was down a double break, broke back in the fifth, and looked to consolidate in the sixth. She moved into the court and fired backhands down the line that allowed her to seal up the serve. 

Azarenka took care of her service game in the seventh, putting the pressure on Ferro to hold serve or give up the match.The 18th seed put together an impressive finish against Ferro, watching her opponent hit a return long of the corner baseline to cap the match in 1 hour and 16 minutes.

"I was so nervous before the match," said Azarenka during her on-court interview. "It's the last slam of the year, and New York is always one of my favorite places to play, opening the tournament here, I was very nervous and wanted to do well, and I was glad I was able to start strong and don't take my foot off the gas today."