Aryna Sabalenka produced one of her most emphatic wins of the US Open so far, dismantling qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in just 53 minutes to reach the third round.
The world number one was barely tested by the 22-year-old Russian, whose three winners were comfortably outnumbered by Sabalenka’s 24. Yet the ease of the victory did little to disguise the tension surrounding the defending champion, who remains determined to rediscover her best form after an uneven second half of the season.
Sabalenka will face Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova in the third round as she continues her bid for a third consecutive US Open title.
A ruthless performance from Aryna Sabalenka, but hardly a test
Sabalenka’s power proved overwhelming from the outset. Iatcenko, ranked 160th in the world, struggled to handle the pace and intensity coming from the top seed and managed only one game in each set.
The qualifier finally got on the scoreboard at 1-5 in the opening set and responded with a relieved smile, but Sabalenka immediately closed out the set without dropping another point.
Iatcenko took a bathroom break after just 24 minutes on court, while Sabalenka used the stoppage to stay loose and work on her serve. The interruption did little to change the momentum as she quickly moved 3-0 ahead in the second set.
Sabalenka did briefly surrender her serve, but recovered with two further breaks to complete a dominant victory.
The result was significant for her confidence, even if it offered little indication of how she will fare against stronger opposition later in the tournament.
“I’m happy with the level I played, happy with the focus and happy to be through this match,” Sabalenka said.
Why the world number one remains under pressure
Sabalenka’s US Open campaign comes at a particularly important stage of her season.
She began 2026 in outstanding form, reaching the Australian Open final before winning Indian Wells and Miami in succession. Her only defeat in her opening 27 matches came against Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.
Her form subsequently dipped sharply. Going into the US Open, Sabalenka had posted a 17-7 record since completing the Sunshine Double and had reached only one WTA semi-final in the previous five months.
She has acknowledged that she has been “dealing with several things” during that period and knows another deep run in New York is essential if she is to remain at the top of the rankings.
Rybakina will replace her at number one if she reaches the semi-finals, regardless of whether Sabalenka successfully defends her title. Sabalenka therefore has little room for error as the tournament progresses.
The pressure extends beyond the court
That tension was evident again after the match when Sabalenka reacted sharply to a question about her preparation for the tournament.
The reporter suggested that she had been attending “lots of parties” in the build-up to the US Open, a reference to social media posts showing activities with brands.
“What kind of question is that? Just because I posted some activities with brands, you think that I’ve been partying [and] not training?” Sabalenka responded.
When asked whether she was now “getting serious” with the tournament underway, she replied sarcastically: “Oh yeah, I wasn’t serious before that. Next question.”
The exchange underlined the scrutiny surrounding the defending champion, but on court Sabalenka gave the strongest possible response.
The real test will come when she faces an opponent capable of challenging her physically and tactically. For now, though, the world number one has moved into the third round with her confidence intact and her three-peat bid firmly alive.