Aryna Sabalenka cruises into third round, Frances Tiafoe survives tough test

Aryna Sabalenka thrashed Polina Iatcenko to reach the US Open third round, while Frances Tiafoe beat Rei Sakamoto in straight sets. Sabalenka kept her bid for a third successive title on track, and Tiafoe preserved American hopes in New York.Aryna Sabalenka crushed Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in 48 minutes. (Photo: Reuters)Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her strong start to the US Open with a dominant win over Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko on Wednesday. Frances Tiafoe also booked his place in the third round, but had to work considerably harder against Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto.Top seed Sabalenka needed just 48 minutes to beat world No. 160 Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Belarusian is chasing a third consecutive US Open title, a feat that would put her alongside Serena Williams and Chris Evert.Sabalenka raced through the opening set in only 24 minutes and immediately put Iatcenko under pressure again in the second. She broke in the opening game and held to love in the next, although the 28-year-old briefly wobbled when she dropped her serve in the fourth game.The setback did little to disrupt Sabalenka's rhythm as she broke straight back to move 4-1 ahead before closing out another convincing victory. The result extended her winning streak at the tournament to 16 matches and set up a third-round meeting with Kamilla Rakhimova. "I'm super happy to play in front of you, the night sessions here are the best," Sabalenka told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd after the match."I'm happy with my level, happy with the focus and happy to be through this match."SABALENKA KEEPS TITLE DEFENCE ON TRACK Sabalenka's power and precision proved too much for Iatcenko, who struggled to stay in rallies against the top seed. The Belarusian's latest straight-sets win keeps her firmly on course for an unprecedented third successive US Open crown.The 28-year-old will now face Rakhimova with another step towards that historic target in sight.TIAFOE SURVIVES SAKAMOTO TESTTiafoe advanced with a 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-5 victory over Sakamoto at Louis Armstrong Stadium, keeping alive American hopes of ending a 23-year wait for a home men's champion in New York.The world No. 12 made the perfect start by breaking in the opening game, but Sakamoto repeatedly tested him with his powerful serve. The Japanese qualifier fired 18 aces and pushed the second set into a tiebreak after Tiafoe produced consecutive double faults while trying to close it out.Tiafoe responded by winning four of the first five points in the tiebreak and took control. Sakamoto, who had reached the main draw by defeating his idol Kei Nishikori, fought until the end but his 40 unforced errors proved costly.After being pushed to five sets in the first round, the two-time US Open semi-finalist was relieved to finish this one in straight sets. Tiafoe will next face either Kamil Majchrzak or Valentin Vacherot.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 3, 2026 08:20 IST