Shelton of the U.S. in action during his second round match against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz on Wednesday.
NEW YORK--Daniil Medvedev flew into the third round after an avian disruption at the U.S. Open on Wednesday, as American Jessica Pegula crushed compatriot Sofia Kenin and Ben Shelton overcame Hubert Hurkacz on another rainswept day.
Medvedev, the 2021 winner, beat U.S. wildcard Sebastian Gorzny 6-1 6-3 7-5 to start the action at Louis Armstrong Stadium, where two birds landing on the net became the biggest source of frustration for the mercurial Russian.
The third-ranked Pegula needed just 56 minutes to dismantle 2020 Australian Open winner Kenin 6-3 6-1 in the first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium to set up a meeting with the 2021 runner-up, Canadian Leylah Fernandez. "To be out of there in under an hour, it doesn't always happen. So I think I'm just going to take that one and run," said Pegula, the runner-up in 2024.
Eighth seed Ben Shelton had a more difficult time, beating Poland's Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 5-7 7-6(3) 7-5, as he relied on the energy of the home crowd to power through. The Montreal winner has emerged as one of the brightest hopes of ending a 23-year U.S. men's major drought in a diminished field missing injured world number one Jannik Sinner.
It was not all good news for the Americans, however, as the 2017 champion Sloane Stephens exited against Ukraine's 11th seed Marta Kostyuk in a 6-1 7-5 defeat.
The first round of the tournament spilled over into a fourth day on the outer courts, after relentless rain on Tuesday disrupted the schedule and rain forced another brief delay on Wednesday. Opening the action on the Grandstand court, Alex Michelsen upset fellow American and 16th seed Brandon Nakashima 6-3 6-4 6-4 in their second-round match.
- Peruvian Ignacio Buse added a new chapter to his family's U.S. Open story as he came through a five-setter to earn a maiden victory and follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who last won a match at the tournament in 1958. The 32nd seed beat American Marcos Giron 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-7(6) 6-1 after three hours and 48 minutes on Court Six, finishing off the match with a backhand volley to spark loud cheers from his team and fans in the stands.
"It's difficult to find the calm in those situations, but in the fifth set, I just tried to recover mentally," Ignacio said. "It's a mental battle out there. I just stayed calm. It's a very special moment."
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her relentless march through the women’s draw as the Belarusian dismissed Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1 6-1 and reached the third round. Top seed Sabalenka, seeking a third straight title in New York to emulate Serena Williams and Chris Evert, wasted little time asserting herself under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium and raced through the opening set in just 24 minutes.
"I'm super happy to play in front of you, the night sessions here are the best," Sabalenka said to cheering fans after her 16th straight win in the tournament. "I'm happy with my level, happy with the focus and happy to be through this match."
She heaped more pressure on world number 160 Iatcenko early in the second set with her power and precision, breaking in the opening game and holding to love in the next as the finish line quickly came into view. The 28-year-old dropped her serve in the fourth game of the second set but the wobble proved brief as she immediately hit back to take a 4-1 lead and complete the win to book a meeting with Kamilla Rakhimova.
