Muguruza advances

New York : Reigning Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza was excited to reach the second round yesterday at the US Open while former world number one Maria Sharapova was poised to swipe the Broadway spotlight.

Spanish third seed Muguruza matched her best showing on the New York hardcourts in five tries by defeating American Varvara Lepchenko 6-0, 6-3 for her first triumph in Arthur Ashe Stadium, which celebrated its 20th anniversary.

“Very happy I’m in the second round,” said Muguruza. “I’ve been here so many times and I’ve never done very well. I will try again and hopefully it will happen.”

The 23-year-old Spaniard improved to 17-2 since the start of her London Grand Slam title run, a stretch that also included a crown at Cincinnati in the last major US Open tuneup.

Muguruza, who won last year’s French Open and reached this year’s Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time, can reach the New York third round for the first time Wednesday by defeating either US qualifier Claire Liu or China’s Duan Ying-Ying.

After dominating the first set, Muguruza fought through most of the second before breaking 64th-ranked Lepchenko at love in the penultimate game.

“She started a little bit nervous and I started very well. Then the match equaled and I had a big fight,” Muguruza said. “I give everything I have on the court. I sweat and work hard on every point.”

Sharapova was set to face Romania’s second-ranked Simona Halep in the night feature match, the Russian star’s first Grand Slam match since serving a 15-month doping suspension.

“I don’t think any tennis fan in the world is not going to have that match on,” said US 15th seed Madison Keys. “We all knew it was inevitable she would be back in majors and playing. I’m sure this first round is going to be interesting.”

Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, whose major titles include the 2006 US Open, tested positive for the banned blood boosting drug meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.

Her comeback began with an April semi-final run at Stuttgart but many rivals complained about wildcard entries she received to assist her fight back to top form. The French Open denied Sharapova a wildcard and she missed Wimbledon with a thigh injury, but US Open officials offered her a wildcard as “a past US champion who needed the wildcard for entry into the main draw,” according to a tournament statement.