NEW YORK — Iga Swiatek is winning easily — and quietly. At this US Open, even the world’s No. 1 player is a distant No. 2 as long as Serena Williams is still around.
“Yeah, that’s kind of her time right now,” Swiatek said. “I’m just, you know, playing and focusing on that, and that’s the most important thing for me.”
The two-time French Open champion beat 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday in the second round for her WTA Tour-leading 50th victory this season.
A day after Williams eliminated No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit, with No. 3 Maria Sakkari losing earlier Wednesday, Swiatek perhaps looms as an even bigger threat to win a seventh title this year, something no woman has done since Williams in 2014. Past US Open champions Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu have also been eliminated, along with 2021 runner-up Leylah Fernandez.
Swiatek came to the US Open just 4-4 in her past eight matches after winning 37 straight but has dropped just eight games through two rounds. She needed only 1 hour, 14 minutes to beat Stephens, having no trouble with her first match in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Honestly, I just tried to have the same kind of motivation or attitude as any other court, because it’s the best way for me to perform good,” Swiatek said.
Williams resumes what could be her final singles tournament Friday, leading off the night session on Ashe for the third time this week against Ajla Tomljanovic. First, she was due back on Ashe in the Thursday night opener along with older sister Venus in a women’s doubles match they lost to the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Four-time champion Rafael Nadal was following them against Fabio Fognini.
Other winners Thursday included No. 8 Jessica Pegula, No. 9 Garbiñe Muguruza, No. 13 Belinda Bencic and No. 26 Victoria Azarenka, who didn’t get a handshake from Marta Kostyuk after beating the Ukrainian player.
Pegula returned to the court later Thursday with Coco Gauff, and the No. 2-seeded team was upset by Fernandez and Daria Saville 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5).
Gauff is also still alive in singles, facing fellow American Madison Keys on Friday afternoon. But she and Pegula were also counting on a long run in doubles, as they made in reaching the French Open final.
Gauff recently became the second-youngest player to reach No. 1 in the WTA doubles rankings. She had already reached the US Open final last year with Caty McNally.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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