In a strong showing at the US Open, third-seeded Jessica Pegula and former champion Daniil Medvedev both advanced to the third round with impressive straight-set victories on Wednesday. Pegula, representing the United States, made quick work of Sofia Kenin, the former Australian Open champion, winning decisively with a score of 6-3, 6-1 in just 56 minutes.
Pegula's performance was particularly noteworthy as she dropped only seven points on her serve throughout the match. This victory is significant for Pegula, who is among a select group of players that could potentially dethrone Aryna Sabalenka from the top of the WTA rankings during the tournament. "I was just trying to stay focused on what I needed to do," Pegula remarked after her win. She is set to face Leylah Fernandez, another former finalist, in the next round, who advanced by defeating Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1.
Daniil Medvedev, the seventh seed, also showcased his skills by defeating American wild card Sebastian Gorzny with a score of 6-1, 6-3, 7-5. Medvedev, who has had a challenging lead-up to this year’s final Grand Slam event, displayed a powerful game, hitting 14 aces and saving the only break point he faced. However, his match was briefly interrupted when two small birds landed on the Louis Armstrong Stadium net, leading to a replay of a point he believed he had won. Reflecting on the incident, Medvedev expressed his frustration, saying, "I saw them straight away and I thought the point would stop straight away and we didn’t."
Despite the minor distraction, Medvedev felt confident in his performance, noting that while Gorzny struggled early on, the third set proved to be more competitive. "At the same time I feel like I had more break points and put more pressure on him," he added. Medvedev will look to build on this momentum as he progresses through the tournament.
In addition to Pegula and Medvedev, American Ben Shelton also secured his spot in the third round, overcoming former world number six Hubert Hurkacz in a tightly contested match that ended with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5. Shelton described the match as a "battle to the end," praising Hurkacz's performance and acknowledging the challenges he faced during the encounter. This marks Shelton's fourth consecutive year reaching the third round at the US Open.
As the day progressed, defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka were set to take the court, with Sabalenka facing 160th-ranked Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko in her quest for a rare US Open three-peat. Alcaraz, who recently captured his seventh major title at the Australian Open, was looking to further solidify his comeback after a wrist injury sidelined him for several months. He had already begun the tournament with a straight-set victory over Roman Safiullin and was prepared to face 72nd-ranked Jaime Faria.
While the excitement continued inside the stadiums, rain disrupted play outside, affecting several matches. Sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur had just begun his campaign when showers halted his match against Italian Andrea Guerrieri, while Spain's Paula Badosa returned to finish her match against Daria Kasatkina, ultimately winning 6-1, 6-4 to set up a second-round clash with fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff.
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