US Open: Pegula, Paolini and Kostyuk reach round three

Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Marta Kostyuk have reached the US Open women’s singles third round, strengthening the group of contenders still in the draw. Pegula remains on course for another deep run after finishing runner-up in New York last year, while Paolini continues her progress following her 2024 finals appearances at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.

The third-seeded Pegula defeated fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1. She has dropped only nine games across her opening two matches, underlining her strong start as she tries to challenge Aryna Sabalenka for the world number one ranking. Pegula will next meet Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open runner-up.

Paolini won the all-Italian meeting with qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini 6-4, 6-1. The sixth-ranked Italian now faces Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, who eliminated France’s leading-ranked player, Diane Parry, 6-2, 7-5.

Kostyuk also advanced with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over former world number three Sloane Stephens. Stephens entered the tournament with a wild card and is currently ranked 209th. Rain again disrupted the schedule in New York, while top-ranked Sabalenka was due to face Russia’s Polina Iatcenko later in the day.