American Nicole Gibbs kicked off her 2016 U.S. Open campaign in fine style Tuesday afternoon, needing just 58 minutes to cruise past Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic, 6-1, 6-0, and book her place in the second round, where she will meet 26th seed Laura Siegemund.
Glorious Gibbs Cruises After Tough Start
Straight away, it was clear that Gibbs was simply not content in simply grinding out points from the back of the court, forcing the issue early upon Krunic. Wasting no time in drawing first blood, Gibbs opened the match with a break at love, taking command of rallies in the opening game with her heavy forehand.
However, what would follow would be one of the longest games of the tournament. A game spanning 22 points and lasting more than 11 minutes, both women had their fair share of chances to clinch it early on, but it was Krunic who would win the first mini-battle of the match, breaking at the fifth time of asking to get back on level terms.
However, from there, it was all Gibbs, as the American wasted no time in reclaiming the early break, before having a much easier time consolidating the advantage, saving a break point in the process to hold for 3-1. A single break advantage would soon double as the American ruthlessly continued to pile the pressure on Krunic, who admittedly cracked at the worst possible time. Despite not being able to capitalize on her first pair of opportunities in the sixth game, Gibbs would make no mistake the third time around, capitalizing on a third break point later in the game to secure a 4-1 lead.
Much like in her previous service game, Gibbs would find herself under pressure while attempting to consolidate the early advantage, but would come through relatively unscathed, holding for 5-1 before another break of serve—her fourth of the set—was enough to secure her the opening set 6-1 in 33 minutes.
Gibbs Plays the Big Points Brilliantly, Secures Near-Flawless Victory in Under an Hour
Picking up right where she left off, Gibbs continued to roll past Krunic, who simply couldn’t find the necessary consistency to overthrow the momentum of the American. Just moments after opening the set with an emphatic hold at love, the world number 69 would claim her fifth break of the match, before coming out on top in another long and drawn-out mini-battle to go a set and 3-0 to the good.
While Krunic did what she could to stop the bleeding, there was no stopping the relentless persistence of Gibbs, who would run away with the last three games of the match, with a hold sandwiched between a pair of breaks, to seal a 6-1, 6-0 victory in just two minutes shy of the one-hour mark.
“I was really happy to get through my first round at this year’s US Open in efficient fashion,” Gibbs told VAVEL USA. “Krunic is a very talented player, so I was expecting a tough match and had to compete very well to stay ahead throughout. I’m ecstatic to be moving on in my favourite tournament of the year and can’t wait for my matchup with Siegemund.”
Gibbs to Face Off Against Siegemund Next
Looking to go equal her best result in New York from two years ago, Gibbs will face off against 26th-seeded German Laura Siegemund, who came from a set down to defeat Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig in her respective first-round clash.