Sabalenka 'inspired' by young fan in dominant win

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka underlined her US Open title credentials pinch a ascendant straight-set triumph complete Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti successful nan 2nd round.

The 26-year-old needed conscionable 61 minutes to seal a 6-3 6-1 triumph earlier heading complete to meet a young fan, who had travel dressed arsenic Sabalenka, including a matching tattoo connected her near arm.

"To spot nan young procreation being inspired by maine - this is what it's each about," she said.

"I'm a small spot successful daze because this is specified an inspiration for me."

Sabalenka, a beaten finalist astatine Flushing Meadows past year, was successful power from nan outset connected Court Louis Armstrong.

Bronzetti held her ain early connected but, yet nan powerfulness of Sabalenka was excessively overmuch for nan world number 76.

The Australian Open champion snatched her only break opportunity of nan first group to spell up 4-2 and calmly saw it retired from there.

On a sweltering time successful New York, Sabalenka was keen to decorativeness nan lucifer quickly and promptly collapsed doubly early successful nan 2nd set.

A 3rd break successful nan group sealed a convincing win, successful which Sabalenka deed an awesome 24 winners.

"I told myself that I had to enactment focused from nan first constituent to nan past one, and make judge you're not going to walk a crazy magnitude of hours [playing] truthful you're fresh for nan adjacent one," she said.

"It's reliable conditions to play successful but I'm happy I was capable to negociate nan triumph successful 2 sets and astir 1 hour."

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova suffered different early exit from nan US Open, losing her second-round lucifer successful consecutive sets to Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

Krejcikova became a two-time Grand Slam champion successful July by adding nan Wimbledon title to her triumph astatine nan 2021 French Open.

The 28-year-old reached nan quarter-final connected her main-draw debut astatine nan US Open successful 2021, but has since grounded to get past information 2 successful New York.

Eighth seed Krejcikova saved a group constituent connected her ain service astatine 5-2 down and collapsed world number 122 Ruse astatine nan adjacent opportunity, only to past tamely driblet her adjacent work crippled to suffer nan first group 6-4.

Krejcikova served for nan 2nd group astatine 5-4 but Ruse, who struck nan shot confidently throughout, collapsed nan Czech doubly successful speedy succession to complete a 6-4 7-5 triumph successful 1 hours and 45 minutes.

Victory for Ruse sent nan 26-year-old done to nan 3rd information of a Grand Slam for nan first clip successful her career, astatine nan 10th clip of asking, and she sank to nan level successful ceremony aft Krejcikova went agelong pinch a backhand connected lucifer point.

She will look 26th seed Paula Badosa of Spain successful information three, pinch Badosa a 6-3 7-5 victor complete American Taylor Townsend.

Elsewhere, erstwhile US Open finalist Madison Keys defeated Australian teen Maya Joint 6-4 6-0 successful 62 minutes connected Arthur Ashe Stadium and nan 14th seed will look Belgium's Elise Mertens next.

Meanwhile, for nan 2nd lucifer successful succession, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen recovered from losing nan first group to progress.

Zheng, nan seventh seed, hit Erika Andreeva 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 6-2.

But Great Britain's Harriet Dart grounded successful her bid to scope nan US Open 3rd information for nan first time, losing successful consecutive sets to 19th seed Marta Kostyuk.

Later, defending champion Coco Gauff takes connected Germany's Tatjana Maria successful nan opening lucifer of nan evening convention connected Arthur Ashe Stadium.