New York, September 3: World number one tennis player Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus has secured her spot in the third round of the 2026 US Open women’s singles. In a match held at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sabalenka triumphed over Russia’s Polina Kiyatsenko with a decisive score of 6-1, 6-1.
Sabalenka, who is aiming for her third consecutive US Open title, faced little difficulty in overcoming Kiyatsenko. The match lasted just 54 minutes, during which Sabalenka hit 24 winners.
With this victory, Sabalenka has extended her winning streak at the US Open to 15 matches. She has also won 22 consecutive second-round matches in Grand Slam events.
Sabalenka now boasts a 30-2 record in matches at the US Open when she wins the first set. The last time she lost a match in New York after winning the first set was during the 2023 final.
Her next opponent will be Kamila Rakhimova, against whom Sabalenka leads their head-to-head record 3-0. In their previous encounters, Rakhimova has managed to win only one set against the world number one.
If Sabalenka successfully defends her singles title and wins the US Open for the third time in a row, she will join an exclusive list of women who have achieved this feat. She would be the only non-American player to do so.
Serena Williams won three consecutive tournaments from 2012 to 2014, while Chris Evert achieved four consecutive titles from 1975 to 1978. Seven other women have fallen short of winning three times. Should Sabalenka clinch the title, it would end the hopes of Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula for the number one ranking.
Sabalenka has already won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, as well as the US Open in 2024 and 2025.
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