Aryna Sabalenka faced little resistance from Lucia Bronzetti as the hard-hitting Belarusian eased past the Italian 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday to claim her spot in the U.S. Open third round.
Sabalenka, who is one of the favourites to win the tournament, put her punishing serve to good use, pounding five aces to just one double fault while never facing a break point.
The second-seeded Sabalenka needed a few games to settle in against the world number 76 but took control of the match when she outlasted Bronzetti in a rally to break for a 4-2 lead in the first set.
Sabalenka broke again to open the one-sided second set and cruised to the finish in just over an hour on a hot day at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I’m happy I was able to manage this win in two sets,” she said in an on-court interview.
A young girl dressed in a matching fuchsia kit presented Sabalenka with a stuffed toy tiger after the match, and the pair took photos together in a heartwarming moment.
“I love New York. I really love this place,” Sabalenka said.
“It’s really important to bring joy in your life and with my team, we’re able to separate court pressure and expectations... and have this little fun off court.”
Sabalenka, who reached the final of the tournament last year, rolled to the Cincinnati Open title earlier this month without losing a set and has yet to drop one in her two matches at Flushing Meadows so far this year.
While she looks unstoppable now, Sabalenka’s season has not been without its challenges, including a shoulder injury that forced her to miss Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
Next up for Sabalenka is a third-round meeting with either 16-year-old American Iva Jovic or Russian 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova
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