NEW YORK (Reuters) - Second seed Ash Barty fought off a stiff challenge at the end of the second set to beat American Lauren Davis 6-2 7-6(2) and reach the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
The French Open champion came to the net to great effect, used her slice to dicate the pace of the contest and fired 35 winners, 22 more than her opponent, to cut short some of the rallies.
Davis mounted a fierce defensive effort, saving 14 of 18 break points the Australian earned, and had a set point herself at 5-4 in the second stanza at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Barty battled through to a tiebreak, though, and secured the victory when the American went wide with a forehand at the end of another lengthy rally.
(Reporting By Amy Tennery, editing by Nick Mulvenney)