Aryna Sabalenka arrived at the US Open in struggling form and in danger of losing the No. 1 ranking. She is through to the third round looking ready for a three-peat, dismantling Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in 53 minutes Wednesday night in a power display that made her recent difficulties seem distant.
Sabalenka said afterward she was happy with her level, happy with her focus and happy to be through the match.
The top seed won 15 of 16 points on first serve in the opening set and finished 21 of 28 for the match against an opponent playing in her first Grand Slam tournament. She has dropped only eight games through two US Open matches, her fourth-fewest through the third round of a major in her career. She improved to 16-0 against qualifiers and has not dropped a set in any of those matches.
What she is chasing
Sabalenka is attempting to become the first player to win three consecutive US Open titles since Serena Williams won from 2012 through 2014. She arrived having lost in the fourth round of her three most recent tournaments before this one and still needs help from results elsewhere in the draw to retain the top ranking even if she wins the title.
She said she struggled in the middle of the season and acknowledged that without defending herself or explaining it. She said she is now mentally stronger than she was at that point, that she also feels physically stronger and that she feels she is back at her level of play.
The ranking picture
The No. 1 ranking entering a tournament run is not always enough to guarantee keeping it. Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula are all still in the US Open draw and capable of accumulating the points needed to displace her at the top. The 53-minute, double-bagel performance Wednesday does not resolve the ranking question but establishes what she looks like at full capacity.
What comes next
She next faces Kamilla Rakhimova, against whom she holds a 3-0 record including a 6-1, 6-0 win at the 2025 French Open. The numbers suggest another comfortable outing, though the Rakhimova meeting will give Sabalenka her first test against a player with Grand Slam experience after two US Open matches against opponents ranked well outside the top 50.
The question the rest of the draw is asking is not whether she can beat players like Iatcenko and Rakhimova. It is whether the US Open form she showed Wednesday is sustainable through the second week, when opponents change from qualifiers to title contenders.
