PICS: Swiatek, Pegula race into US Open fourth round

Poland's world number one Iga Swiatek swatted aside 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-2 with a near-flawless performance to reach the round of 16 for a fourth straight year at the U.S. Open on Saturday.

The 2022 champion never faced a break and made few mistakes as she marched through the match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, pumping her fist after her opponent sent a return past the baseline on match point.

She next plays Liudmila Samsonova.

"I just wanted to kind of focus on myself," said Swiatek.

"For sure she's a great player and she's really powerful so you have to be ready for the first couple of shots to be really fast."

Pavlyuchenkova helped the three-times Roland Garros winner to the break in the first game with a pair of unforced errors on the final two points and Swiatek served to love in the 10th game.

Swiatek took the momentum into the second set, where she dropped only three of her first-serve points and put up just one unforced error, breaking Pavlyuchenkova in the third and fifth games.

Pegula serves her way past Maneiro

Jessica Pegula's strong serving and smothering defense led to a textbook 6-3, 6-3 win over Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the third round.

The sixth-seeded American Pegula, who struggled with injuries earlier in the year, produced her best form of the tournament so far, winning 89% of her first serve points, cracking 13 winners and breaking serve four times.

Meanwhile, Ashlyn Krueger crashed 6-1, 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova.

Roland Garros and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini beat Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-4 as the diminutive Italian continued to fly under the radar, but she could face a big hurdle with Czech Karolina Muchova up next.

Muchova, who is rediscovering her best form after 10 months out with a wrist injury, outclassed Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-2.

Caroline Wozniacki showed she had plenty left in the tank since her comeback in 2023 after a three-year break following the births of her two children as the 34-year-old Dane eased past Jessika Ponchet 6-3, 6-2.

Pegula crushed a serve Bouzas Maneiro could not put back into play on match point to advance in 70 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

"I just played solid," Pegula said in an on-court interview.

"I didn't do anything crazy. I didn't do anything bad or that amazing. I think I was just very consistent.

"Even when she got back into that second set, I was able to find some energy, get a hold and close it out pretty quick, so I'm proud of that."

The unseeded Maneiro struggled to match Pegula's level in the contest and was hampered by six double faults and 29 unforced errors.

Pegula said she was forced make some quick adjustments against an opponent she had not seen before.

"You just have no idea how their ball is, how it comes off their racket, how it's going to be playing on this court, especially with the roof closed," she said.

"We didn't warm up with the roof closed either, so there are a lot of variables that you aren't so sure about. At the beginning I was trying to feel it out and I was able to get some rhythm."

Pegula, 30, missed this year's French Open to recover from injuries and after suffering an early exit at Wimbledon, she triumphed at this month's Canadian Open.

The Buffalo, New York native has said she would relish winning her first Grand Slam on home soil and opted not to compete in doubles at Flushing Meadows this year to focus on her singles game.