Pegula and Sabalenka Shine as US Open Sees Lightning-Fast Victories

In just 56 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Jessica Pegula turned her match against Sofia Kenin into a one-sided display. She won 6-3, 6-1, faced no break points, and lost only seven points on serve. That was a strong statement from the American No. 3 seed, who was runner-up last year and is seeking her first Grand Slam title. This year's US Open has seen the return of many top players after rain-delayed matches. Bad weather disrupted the schedule, but matches on the two covered courts continued. In that context, Pegula and Sabalenka showed great focus. Pegula, the 2026 runner-up, improved her head-to-head record against Kenin to 5-2. She said: "I knew today was going to be tough. Sonya has given me a lot of trouble in the past. She's a great player and a champion, so I was just trying to stay focused on what I needed to do." Pegula broke Kenin's serve to lead 3-1 in the first set, then won seven consecutive games to close out the match. She will next face Leylah Fernandez, the 2026 runner-up, who defeated Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed and two-time defending champion, also needed only 54 minutes to beat Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1. Sabalenka said: "I'm happy with my level. I've been working really hard, but I feel like I'm kind of moving away from trying to be perfect on court. I know that you cannot be perfect, and I'm just trying to work with what I have right now." Statistics are not just numbers; they are human stories. Pegula had 18 winners and only 8 unforced errors, a perfect balance between power and control. She faced no break points, showing her serve is at its peak. "I'm going pretty big on second serves, I'm trying to mix up where I'm going and just trust that I can hit good serves in the moment," Pegula said. "That's been a lot of work we've done off the court, so really excited when I can practice something, and it pays off in the match." Meanwhile, Linda Noskova, the Czech No. 6 seed, closed the night session with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Thailand's Lanlana Tararudee. Elina Svitolina, the Ukrainian No. 9 seed, squandered a match point in the second-set tiebreaker, but she recovered to beat Australia's Maya Joint 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4. Iva Jovic, the No. 14 seed, completed a delayed first-round match, defeating Poland's Magdalena Frech 7-5, 6-3. Jovic, 18, recovered from an early deficit in the opening set to close out the straight-sets victory. Diana Shnaider, the No. 15 seed, defeated former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 7-6(4). Shnaider, who reached the French Open semifinals earlier this season, will face Taylor Townsend next after Townsend overwhelmed Australia's Taylah Preston 6-1, 6-1. Ekaterina Alexandrova, the No. 18 seed, advanced in three sets, beating Australia's Kimberly Birrell 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. She will meet Marta Kostyuk, the Ukrainian No. 11 seed, who eliminated 2026 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5. Kostyuk led 6-1, 4-2 before Stephens mounted a second-set comeback and eventually earned a set point opportunity. Kostyuk escaped the danger and won the final three games. "I was a little nervous," Kostyuk said. "I kind of knew what to expect, but I knew she was gonna try to change something. At the same time, I knew how she was playing, and I beat her. But yeah, it's a different tournament; it's a Grand Slam." Jasmine Paolini, the Italian No. 19 seed, moved on with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over countrywoman Lucrezia Stefanini. She will next face Sorana Cirstea, the Romanian No. 16 seed, a 6-2, 7-5 winner over France's Diane Parry. Anna Kalinskaya, the No. 21 seed, advanced with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory over China's Wang Xinyu. Emma Navarro, the No. 26 seed, won an all-American matchup against Caty McNally, rallying for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory. Navarro will meet Karolina Muchova, the Czech No. 7 seed, who crushed Britain's Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour. Ann Li, the No. 29 seed, pulled out a 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Croatia's Donna Vekic. While the top seeds all won easily, Jelena Ostapenko, the Latvian No. 30 seed, was the lone seeded woman eliminated on Wednesday. She lost to Germany's Tatjana Maria 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in first-round action. This shows the harshness of a Grand Slam, where no match is easy. Ostapenko, the 2026 French Open champion, could not find her best form. The empty court has its own sound of nostalgia, and for Ostapenko, it is the nostalgia of glorious days gone by. Rain disrupted much of Wednesday's schedule, suspending play on outdoor courts while matches continued under the roofs at Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium. This flexibility helped the tournament catch up after rainy days earlier in the week. With their current form, Pegula and Sabalenka are showing they are heavy favorites for the title. But the US Open always holds surprises, and young players like Iva Jovic or Diana Shnaider are ready to cause upsets. Who will lift the trophy at Flushing Meadows this year? Let's wait and see.