Jessica Pegula in Control
American No. 1 Jessica Pegula made a smooth start to her home Slam, defeating Egypt’s Mayar Sherif 6-0, 6-4. Pegula dominated the opening set with precision and consistency before withstanding a stronger push from Sherif in the second. The straight-sets win was exactly the composed opening performance expected from one of the tournament’s top seeds.
Her path was echoed by fellow seeds in the section. Former champion Victoria Azarenka survived an early scare against American qualifier Hena Inoue but held firm, winning 7-6, 6-4. Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic also advanced without drama, posting a controlled 6-3, 6-3 victory over Chinese qualifier Shuai Zhang.
Steady Progress for Seeds and Contenders in Pegula’s Quarter
Emma Navarro added to the American successes, edging past Wang Yafan of China 7-6, 6-3. Navarro’s aggressive baseline play gave her the edge in tight moments, and she looks set to be a dangerous floater deeper into the draw. Caty McNally delighted the local crowd with a clinical 6-2, 6-2 win over Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann, underlining the strength of the American contingent in Pegula’s quarter.
Elsewhere, Moyuka Uchijima of Japan delivered one of the day’s longest battles, outlasting Olga Danilovic 7-6(7-2), 4-6, 7-6(11-9) in a match that tested both stamina and nerve. Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko looked sharp, dispatching qualifier Wang Xiyu 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour.
Anastasia Potapova of Russia completed the day’s schedule by defeating Zhu Lin of China 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, relying on her heavy groundstrokes to close out a tricky three-setter.
Compared to the chaos in Sabalenka’s section, Pegula’s quarter began with a sense of order: the seeds held firm, the expected names advanced, and the favorites showed their quality. For now, it’s business as usual—but in New York, that can change quickly.