Arianne Hartono qualified for the second round of the US Open. She beat the Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva.
The Groningen-born Meppelse achieved some mixed results in the run-up to the US Open. After her tournament win in Setubal in Portugal, she failed to get past the first or second round a few times, but in Porto and more than a week ago in Roehampton in Britain, she reached the semi-finals.
That resulted in her current position 206 in the WTA world rankings, more than enough for admission to the qualifications of the US Open, one of the four largest tennis tournaments in the world. It is her second participation in the tournament in New York.
World top as a teenager
Her opponent in the first round of this was a formidable one: the Bulgarian Karatantcheva (34) was once the global number 35 as a teenager, but is now well above Hartono, in place 862. Hartono had to be full and needed three sets: 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. ,,I think the key to the win was that in the end I made fewer mistakes than her”, was the first reaction of the Meppel player afterwards. ,,My serve faltered in the beginning of the game, but it started to run better and better.”
The victory over the Bulgarian is Hartono’s second victory ever at the US Open. Last year she also reached the second round of the qualifying tournament. In the second round, the team from Meppel will play against the Japanese Mai Hontama (WTA-176), who eliminated the Chinese Zhuoxuan Bai (WTA-131).