Aryna Sabalenka powers her way into third round of U.S. Open in just 53 minutes
Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open with a dominant victory, signaling a return to form after recent struggles. Other top players, including Jessica Pegula and Daniil Medvedev, also secured wins during a rain-affected day in New York.
Why it matters
The U.S. Open is a major global sporting event, and the performance of top-seeded players significantly impacts the professional tennis rankings.
Aryna Sabalenka came to the U.S. Open, struggling and in danger of losing the No. 1 ranking.
She heads to the third round looking every bit ready for a three-peat.
The top-seeded Sabalenka overwhelmed Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in 53 minutes on Wednesday night (September 2, 2026), putting on a power-hitting display that made it seem her recent problems are in the past.
“Happy with the level I played today, happy with the focus and happy to be through this match,” Sabalenka said.
Polina Iatcenko, of Russia, left, and Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, meet at the net after Sabalenka wins a match during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships. | Photo Credit: AP
A number of players have only finished one match.
Also covering this story
5 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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Sabalenka races into US Open third round
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Aryna Sabalenka blows up at reporter in fiery US Open scene: ‘A joke’ - New York Post
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