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Bolt’s ranking has risen significantly after 18 months of strong performance. During these 18 months, she has always maintained a good state and caused great trouble to her opponents with her strong strength.
Now, she aims to break another record by reaching the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.
However, before competing in the US Open, Bolt admitted that because she was competing in the Paris Olympics on clay courts, she was not fully prepared for the hard courts.
That experience meant she had played just three full matches on hard courts before beginning her journey at Flushing Meadows.
In contrast, Sasnovich performed outstandingly in the competition and passed the qualifying round without losing a set.
The gap was apparent in the first set, as Bolt struggled on her serve and was broken three times, her previous efforts to receive Sasnovich’s unconventional serves coming to naught.
The Belarusian player’s moves were eye-catching, as she raised her serving arm in a flamenco dancer’s pose before tossing the ball, but the movements looked clumsy and lacked ferocity.
Bolt managed four breaks of serve, which, combined with a more solid performance on her serve, allowed the Brit to confidently win the next two sets.
“It’s not easy to play in the first round here against a player who was once in the top 30 in the world, she knows how to play tennis,” Bolt, who reached the third round last year, told Sky Sports.
“I knew it was going to be a battle, she’s already played three matches on these courts.
“I’m really proud that I was able to stay there and perform at a good level on the field.”
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