Halep through to Round 2 in US Open after Erakovic retires

Simona Halep had little trouble advancing to the second round at the US Open on Tuesday winning 6-2, 3-0 with 99th-ranked Marina Erakovic of New Zealand retiring after 47 minutes of play.

The No. 2 ranked Romanian converted on four of six breakpoint opportunities and won 57 percent of her receiving points for a relatively trouble-free opening match.

Many believe the second seed poses the largest threat to Serena Williams' quest for a calendar grand slam, and Halep should at least keep up with her energy-wise with the world No. 1 advancing Monday after her opponent, Vitalia Diatchenko, also retired.

It's a reasonable argument that Halep could cause the American trouble in the final. She entered Flushing Meadows with more hardcourt victories than any other player on tour (32) and comes to the US Open in fine form, reaching finals at Masters events in both Toronto and Cincinnati.

"I have a lot of confidence right now because I played tough matches and won difficult matches," she said. "I'm pretty sure I have a good game now. I can win matches. I feel good on the court. I'm a little bit tired after the last few weeks, but it's normal, and I'm just looking forward to the next one."

The loss in Cincinnati did come at the hands of Williams, but Halep's strategy will remain simple if she continues to advance through the tournament, saying she needs to "stay aggressive" and "just hit the ball."

The US Open remains the only Grand Slam event where Halep has not reached the quarterfinals, but the 23-year-old is feeling very good about her chances in 2015.

"In the past what mattered is that I didn't think I had a chance to do well here," Halep said. "Now I am feeling much better and I am more confident."

She will advance to face an unranked opponent in Round 2, either Yulia Putintseva or Kateryna Bondarenko and received some big help in her quarter as both No. 6 Lucie Safarova and No. 14 Timea Bacsinszky were upset Tuesday.