The former world no. 1 had a shocking start to her opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, losing the first set 1-6 against Zarina Diyas, who is ranked 77th in the world.
After numerous unforced errors, Barty used her steady, trademark serve to drag herself back into the game, eventually finishing the game with eight aces. She bounced back in the second and third sets to overcome Diays 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“I just had to start with my serve,” she said after the win. “I really wasn’t giving myself enough chances on serve. I don’t know what the percentage was in the first set … but it wasn’t good.”
“I just didn’t give myself a chance in that first set.”
“Sort of appalling, probably made a set’s worth of errors. We were able to find a way after that to get into the match and be more patient and really just lock down and wait until I got the right balls and right patterns that I wanted.”
Fighting through 👊🏽 pic.twitter.com/W8DErG9nIl
— Ash Barty (@ashbar96) August 26, 2019
Here’s what you need to know about Barty as the US Open begins
Barty is now the world No.2, behind the new world no. 1, Japan’s Naomi Osaka.
She is Australia’s biggest title hope for the US Open and is seeded second, after Osaka and ahead of last year’s finalist, Serena Williams, who is seeded eighth.
She’s also in a position to rewrite the history books.
In her attempt to win the US Open title, Barty could become the first Australian woman to win two grand slams in a single season since 1973. No one has made the remarkable feat since Margaret Court nearly half a century ago. Barty is already in the process of making it happen, as the reigning French Open champion.
Barty won the French Open on clay, known to be her one her least favoured surfaces. This puts her in good stead for her time in New York, where she should be feeling much more in her stride on a hard court.
Serena Williams, the grand slam powerhouse, is the overall favourite to take the title. She’s ahead of Simona Halep, Osaka and Barty in the odds for the grand slam title.
For now, Barty moves on to the second round. On Wednesday, she is set to play unseeded American Lauren Davis.
Fellow Australians, Samantha Stosur, Daria Gavrilova and Priscilla Hon have been eliminated after the first round.