Erin Routliffe and Gaby Dabrowski have started their title defence at the US Open with a first round 6-4 6-2 win over Leylah Fernandez and Yulia Putintseva.
The pair won the 2023 US Open title against Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva in straight sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Both US Open singles top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek finished their matches early in the stadium, as they defeated their opponents in straight sets, which allowed Routliffe and Dabrowski to return to the court that they won the women's doubles title on last year.
Routliffe and Dabrowski got off to a slow start as they went 2-0 down in the first set with their opponents breaking their serve. They came back to take the set 6-4, ending with Routliffe smashing a backhand winner down the middle of the court.
Putintseva’s serve was broken in the third game of the second set and the same thing happened when again served at 2-4.
Fernandez couldn't return Dabrowski’s serve on match point and the pair advanced to the second round where they will play Alicja Rosolska from Poland and American Catherine Harrison.
Routliffe then featured with fellow Kiwi Michael Venus in the mixed doubles but they lost to American duo Alycia Parks and Jackson Withrow in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. The Kiwis were the second seeds for the tournament.
Earlier in the day, Kiwi Lulu Sun and China’s Wang Xiyu lost their first-round doubles match 6-4 6-3 against Tereza Mihalkova from Slovakia and Great Britain's Olivia Nicholls.
This was Sun's first match since she retired from her first-round singles match against Lucia Bronzetti with a hip injury.
The US Open is available live and free on TVNZ+
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