Five of the world’s Top 10 hit the courts for the second round of the US Open on Thursday.
US Open: Scores | Order of play | Draw
World No.1 Iga Swiatek cruised past 2017 champion Sloane Stephens on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Here is how the rest of the Top 10 did on Day 4:
Petra Martic def. [4] Paula Badosa 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2
Croatia’s Martic knows what it takes to rack up victories at Grand Slam events. The former Top 15 player has reached the Round of 16 or better at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments; nine times in total including fourth-round runs at the US Open in 2019 and 2020.
However, Martic was only 1-12 against Top 5 players on hard court entering her second-round clash with World No.4 Badosa. Once Badosa eked out the hour-long first set, improving to a splendid 13-2 in tiebreaks this season, Martic was close to another exit against Top 5 opposition on this surface.
Martic, though, rebounded with aplomb to sweep through the last two sets and earn the fourth Top 5 win of her career overall after 2 hours and 5 minutes of play. The 31-year-old was overwhelming down the stretch, totaling 20 winners to just nine unforced errors spanning the second and third sets.
Martic will face another marquee name in the third round: No.26 seed Victoria Azarenka, who beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3. Former World No.1 Azarenka, the US Open runner-up in 2012 and 2013, won her only prior meeting with Martic, which was ten years ago on the indoor hard courts of Linz.
[8] Jessica Pegula def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-4
Sasnovich came into the year’s last major in good form, having reached the Cleveland final last week. She moved up to World No.32 in Monday’s rankings, slightly too late to claim a seeding spot in New York. She is only two spots behind her career-high ranking of No.30.
However, American No.1 Pegula, a quarterfinalist at this year’s Australian Open and Roland Garros, was able to bring Sasnovich back down to earth in 1 hour and 19 minutes on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday.
“I’m glad I got through my first two matches doing what I…