Aryna Sabalenka crushes Polina Iatcenko to reach US Open third round

NEW YORK: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka maintained her dominant run at the US Open powering past Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 to reach the third round here at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.

The top-seeded Belarusian wasted no time imposing her authority, racing through the opening set in just 24 minutes with a combination of powerful groundstrokes and precise serving.

Sabalenka, who is chasing a third consecutive US Open title, is attempting to match the achievement of Serena Williams and Chris Evert, who both won the tournament three years in a row.

Belarusian praised the electric New York crowd and expressed satisfaction with her performance.

"I'm super happy to play in front of you, the night sessions here are the best," Sabalenka said.

"I'm happy with my level, happy with the focus and happy to be through this match."

The 28-year-old continued to apply pressure at the start of the second set, breaking Iatcenko in the opening game before holding serve to love to move firmly in control.

World number 160 Iatcenko briefly halted Sabalenka's momentum by breaking back in the fourth game, but the top seed responded immediately.

Sabalenka regained the advantage with another break to establish a 4-1 lead before calmly serving out the match, completing a convincing victory in just over an hour.

The Belarusian's latest performance underlined her status as one of the leading contenders for the women's singles crown.

Sabalenka will next face Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova in the third round as she continues her bid for a historic third straight US Open championship.