In an impressive display of skill, world number three Jessica Pegula and former champion Daniil Medvedev both advanced to the third round of the US Open on Wednesday, each winning their matches in straight sets. Pegula, who is vying for the top spot in the world rankings, took just 56 minutes to defeat Sofia Kenin, a former Australian Open champion now ranked 110th, with a score of 6-3, 6-1.
Pegula's strong performance included dropping only seven points on her serve, showcasing her dominance throughout the match. "I was just trying to stay focused on what I needed to do," Pegula said after her victory. Next, she will face Leylah Fernandez, another former finalist, who comfortably advanced by defeating Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1.
On the men's side, seventh-seeded Daniil Medvedev faced US wild card Sebastian Gorzny, ranked 731st, and secured a convincing win with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-3, 7-5. Medvedev, who has faced challenges in the lead-up to this Grand Slam, displayed a strong serve, firing 14 aces and successfully saving the only break point he encountered during the match. However, his match was briefly interrupted when two small birds landed on the net, leading to a replay of a point he believed he had won.
"I saw them straight away and I thought the point would stop straight away and we didn’t," Medvedev remarked regarding the incident. Despite this distraction, he felt confident about his performance, stating, "The first two sets he was not playing the best tennis of his life maybe. The third set was much more competitive. At the same time, I feel like I had more break points and put more pressure on him."
As the tournament progresses, defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka were also in action on day four. Sabalenka, the world number one and aiming for a rare three-peat at the US Open, was set to face 160th-ranked Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko. Meanwhile, Alcaraz, who recently captured his seventh major title at the Australian Open, was looking to continue his comeback from a wrist injury that sidelined him for four months. He faced 72nd-ranked Jaime Faria in the night session after a straight-set win over Roman Safiullin in his opening match.
Other notable players in pursuit of third-round berths included eighth-seeded American Ben Shelton and 11th-seeded Frances Tiafoe. However, 16th seed Brandon Nakashima, a rising star among American men, faced an upset against 46th-ranked Alex Michelsen, losing 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Additionally, sixth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur was set to begin his campaign in a first-round match against Italian Andrea Guerrieri, which had been postponed due to rain.
Spain's Paula Badosa, who was serving for her match when rain interrupted play the previous night, successfully completed her match against Australian Daria Kasatkina, winning 6-1, 6-4. Badosa will now face fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff in the next round, adding to the excitement as the tournament continues to unfold.
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