The percentage of women who respond to a direct approach has been pretty bad for a while, you really have to be smooth to make it work. The "meet cute" angle is easier - i.e. fortuitously bumping into a woman in some way or striking up a conversation spontaneously about shared circumstances. Most women are open to that sort of meeting if it feels natural, but then you have to have some sort of routine for "spontaneously" striking up a conversation so it's not without its drawbacks.