Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open with a convincing 6-1, 6-1 victory over Clara Burel on Saturday in New York.
Saturday’s result marked the second time in as many years that Sabalenka dropped two games against Burel in a third-round match at the U.S. Open. The Belarusian posted a 6-0, 6-2 triumph over the Frenchwoman in 2022.
Sabalenka is looking to bookend her season with Grand Slam victories, winning 2023’s first major at the Australian Open and seeking the title in New York at the season’s final major.
A win at the U.S. Open also would vault Sabalenka to No. 1 in the world rankings, displacing Iga Swiatek of Poland.
On Saturday, Sabalenka recorded 21 winners to dismiss Burel in exactly one hour and set a clash against 13th-seeded Daria Kasatkina.
Kasatkina advanced to the fourth round at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2017 with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over qualifier Greet Minnen of Belgium. She needed just 88 minutes to dispatch Minnen, ranked No. 97 in the world.
Third-seeded Jessica Pegula had nine aces while beating No. 26 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Pegula had a 31-26 edge in winners while reaching the round of 16 for the second straight year.
“I knew no matter what she wasn’t going to go away,” Pegula said of Svitolina. “I feel like every time I play her it’s so close, it’s just a couple breaks here and there.”
Pegula will next face No. 17 Madison Keys, who recorded a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 14 seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia. Samsonova committed 41 unforced errors while Keys had 25.
Also, No. 23 Qinwen Zheng of China outlasted Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
No. 5 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia rebounded from dropping the first set to defeat No. 31 Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Bouzkova’s countrywoman, No. 9 Marketa Vondrousova, had little trouble disposing of No. 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, posting a 6-2, 6-1 victory in just 57 minutes.
Peyton Stearns — last year’s NCAA women’s singles champion at Texas — also cruised, sweeping Great Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Round of 16 of a grand slam for the first time.
–Field Level Media
