WHAT HAPPENED: 2016 US Open champion Angelique Kerber faced a tough test from a game Margarita Gasparyan in an exciting, topsy-turvy opening-round match Tuesday, but ultimately rose to the challenge with a 7-6, 6-3 victory.
"I think we both played at a really high level," Kerber said on court after the match. "I was really happy to play the first round like this. Focusing on my serve, moving good."
Gasparyan is the former world No. 41 for a reason. The 23-year-old—who is making a comeback after having undergone knee surgery in 2016—possesses a jaw-dropping one-handed backhand and came out firing with it. She pushed Kerber back past the baseline and broke the 2018 Wimbledon champ in her first service game. From there, Gasparyan suddenly couldn't find her range and promptly lost 12 of the next 13 points, which allowed Kerber, who also raised her level, to break back and go up a break.
If you thought that was the final plot twist, though, think again. The world No. 4 served for the set at 5-4 and earned three set points, but failed to convert any of them, leading to Gasparyan breaking the Kerber serve for the second time. Both women subsequently held to set the stage for a dramatic tiebreak.
And dramatic it was. In the tiebreak, the two played several punishing rallies and each got a chance to show the crowd at the new Louis Armstrong Stadium their top-of-the-line shotmaking abilities. The score, fittingly, mirrored the twisty nature of the first set, with Gasparyan taking a 3-0 double mini break lead…then losing the next three points. Gasparyan would go up a mini break one more time but couldn’t maintain the advantage. Kerber eventually pounced and converted her fourth set point.
Gasparyan looked to take control early in the second set, breaking Kerber early once again. But Kerber proved too solid and broke right back, then later broke Gasparyan to go up 5-3 and easily served out the match.
WHAT IT MEANS: Kerber hasn’t had the best summer hardcourt season, taking early round losses in Montréal and Cincinnati. Her unflappable performance against a spirited opponent shows why she's won three majors, and also that she came to Flushing Meadows ready to make a deep run again after last year’s first-round exit.
MATCH POINT: How high quality was this match? Kerber finished the match with 29 winners (to 24 unforced errors). Gasparyan had 23 winners (to 22 unforced errors).
