Laura Robson showed her battling qualities to get her US Open campaign off to a flying start in New York.
Robson reached the fourth round last year but expectations of a repeat have been tempered by a wrist injury that forced her out of her last three tournaments.
Her right wrist was strapped but it did not appear to hamper Robson as she fought through a difficult first set against Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino before running away with the second to win 7-5 6-0.
The 19-year-old had lost both her previous matches against the tricky Dominguez Lino, whose excellent retrieving and mix of spins and slices made her something of a nightmare opponent for the attack-minded British teenager.
Robson is the 30th seed, the first British woman to be seeded at a grand slam since Jo Durie at the 1987 Australian Open, and, the pressure released, she showed her superiority in the second set with a flurry of winners.
She said: “I thought going into the match I’d be a little bit rusty, so I’m really happy to get the win today, especially playing as well as I did in the end.
“I played really well here last year. I’m only in the second round now, so I have a long way to go.”
Robson’s next match will be against another 19-year-old, France’s Caroline Garcia.