By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
Photo Credit: US Open.
Aryna Sabalenka barely broke sweat. Carlos Alcaraz had to recover from a shaky start.
Both, however, are safely through to the third round of the US Open.
Top seed Sabalenka produced one of the most emphatic wins of the tournament so far, dismantling Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6 1, 6 1 in a dominant display on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows.
The Belarusian, who has won the US Open for the past two years, immediately took control against the 22 year old qualifier, racing into a 5 0 lead before Iatcenko finally got on the scoreboard.
Sabalenka dropped only four points on serve in the opening set and was broken just once in the second, leaving Iatcenko with little opportunity to settle into her first Grand Slam main draw.
“Night atmosphere is always the best atmosphere,” Sabalenka said after the victory.
The result extended her winning streak at Flushing Meadows to 15 matches and provided another confidence boost after a difficult middle portion of the season.
Sabalenka suffered disappointing defeats at the French Open and Wimbledon and also produced mixed results during the hard court tournaments leading into New York. She looked far more assured against Iatcenko.
“I’m happy with my level,” she said. “I’ve been working really hard, but I feel like I’m moving away from trying to be perfect on court.”
That change in mindset appears to be important for the defending champion. Sabalenka said she feels mentally stronger than she did earlier in the season and is concentrating on playing with what she has rather than searching for a perfect performance.
Her next opponent will be Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova, ranked 92nd in the world.
Alcaraz had a very different route through.
The third seeded Spaniard dropped the opening set against Portugal’s Jaime Faria before taking complete control, winning 4 6, 6 0, 6 3, 6 2.
Faria, ranked 72nd, had arrived with some confidence after beating eighth seeded American Ben Shelton in Cincinnati. He also stunned the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd by taking the first set from Alcaraz.
The Spaniard quickly changed the match.
Alcaraz fell behind 15 40 while serving at the start of the second set, but fought back to hold. From there, the momentum shifted dramatically.
He won the next eight games, racing through the second set 6 0 and moving quickly into a 3 0 lead in the third.
His combination of explosive forehands, heavy serving and delicate drop shots eventually proved too much for Faria, who continued to attack but struggled to contain the Spaniard’s power.
Alcaraz finished with 43 winners compared with Faria’s 27 and converted seven of his 12 break point opportunities.
The victory extended Alcaraz’s Grand Slam winning streak to 16 matches and improved his US Open record to 26 wins from 29 matches.
It is another encouraging performance for a player returning from a four month layoff caused by a wrist injury.
There had been understandable questions about his rhythm when he arrived in New York, but two matches into the tournament, Alcaraz is beginning to look increasingly comfortable.
He will face China’s Wu Yibing in the third round. The two have met once before, with Alcaraz winning at the 2024 Shanghai Masters. That match was competitive on hard court, although Alcaraz eventually prevailed in straight sets.
With Sabalenka continuing her title defence and Alcaraz building momentum on the men’s side, two of the tournament’s biggest names have now taken another step towards the business end of the US Open.