Pegula cruises, Sabalenka dominates as US Open catches up

New York – Jessica Pegula, the No. 3 seed, needed just 56 minutes Wednesday to dispatch fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 and advance to the third round of the US Open. The match at Flushing Meadows saw a near-flawless performance from the 30-year-old, who was the 2026 runner-up at the tournament. Pegula surrendered only seven points on serve and finished with 18 winners against eight unforced errors. She never faced a break point while improving to 5-2 in her career against Kenin. The matchup was considerably less competitive than their previous Grand Slam meeting, when Pegula needed a first-set tiebreak to get past the 2026 Australian Open champion in the second round of the 2026 US Open. "I knew today was going to be tough. Sonya has given me a lot of trouble in the past," Pegula said. "She's a great player and a champion, so I was just trying to stay focused on what I needed to do." Pegula broke Kenin for a 3-1 advantage in the opening set and eventually took seven consecutive games spanning the two sets while reaching the third round in New York for the seventh straight year. The American notably emphasized her improvement in serving: "I'm going pretty big on second serves, I'm trying to mix up where I'm going and just trust that I can hit good serves in the moment. That's been a lot of work we've done off the court, so really excited when I can practice something, and it pays off in the match." In the third round, Pegula will face No. 31 Leylah Fernandez of Canada in a matchup of former US Open finalists. Fernandez, the 2026 runner-up, defeated Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1. Meanwhile, top seed Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, cruised into the third round with a 6-1, 6-1 rout of Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko. The Belarusian star needed only 54 minutes to advance. "I'm happy with my level," Sabalenka said. "I've been working really hard, but I feel like I'm kind of moving away from trying to be perfect on court. I know that you cannot be perfect, and I'm just trying to work with what I have right now." Sixth-seeded Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic closed the night session with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Thailand's Lanlana Tararudee. No. 9 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine squandered a match point in the second-set tiebreaker, but she recovered to beat Australia's Maya Joint 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4. No. 14 Iva Jovic completed a delayed first-round match, defeating Poland's Magdalena Frech 7-5, 6-3. The 18-year-old recovered from an early deficit in the opening set to close out the straight-sets victory. No. 15 Diana Shnaider defeated former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 7-6 (4). Shnaider, who reached the French Open semifinals earlier this season, will face Taylor Townsend next after Townsend overwhelmed Australia's Taylah Preston 6-1, 6-1. No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova advanced in three sets, beating Australia's Kimberly Birrell 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. Alexandrova will meet No. 11 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, who eliminated 2026 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5. Kostyuk led 6-1, 4-2 before Stephens mounted a second-set comeback and eventually earned a set point opportunity. Kostyuk escaped the danger and won the final three games. "I was a little nervous," Kostyuk said. "I kind of knew what to expect, but I knew she was gonna try to change something. At the same time, I knew how she was playing, and I beat her. But yeah, it's a different tournament; it's a Grand Slam." No. 19 Jasmine Paolini of Italy moved on with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over countrywoman Lucrezia Stefanini. She will next face No. 16 Sorana Cirstea of Romania, a 6-2, 7-5 winner over France's Diane Parry. No. 21 Anna Kalinskaya advanced with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory over China's Wang Xinyu. No. 26 Emma Navarro won an all-American matchup against Caty McNally, rallying for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory. Navarro will meet No. 7 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, who crushed Britain's Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour. No. 29 Ann Li pulled out a 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Croatia's Donna Vekic. No. 30 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia was the lone seeded woman eliminated on Wednesday. Germany's Tatjana Maria rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over the former French Open champion in first-round action. Rain disrupted much of Wednesday's schedule, suspending play on outdoor courts while matches continued under the roofs at Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium.