Double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka bristled at a reporter's suggestion the events and appearances surrounding the US Open had included “parties and fun” after she cruised past Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday.
The Belarusian, who had faced a similar line of questioning after her first round win, fired back that her off-court appearances had not come at the expense of her preparations for the Grand Slam.
“You guys are, like, a joke. Parties, fun … like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? What kind of question is that?” the world number one said.
“Just because I posted, like, some activities with brands, and you think that I've been partying, not training?” she added, cutting the exchange short.
Turning to her second round performance on Wednesday, the four-times Grand Slam winner said she was pleased with both her level and her focus after another dominant performance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I've been working really hard, but I feel like I'm kind of moving away from trying to be perfect on court,” Sabalenka said. “I know that you cannot be perfect, and I'm just trying to work with what I have right now.”
Sabalenka will continue her search for a third straight title in New York and avoid ending the year without a major, as she tries to recover her best form after not winning a title since claiming the Miami Open in March.
“I think I struggled a little bit in the middle of the season. Once again, I'm not going to defend myself or explain why, what happened, but I'm happy with my level,” the 28-year-old said.
Earlier, third-ranked Jessica Pegula needed just 56 minutes to dismantle 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 to book a matchup with 2021 runner-up 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.
Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova eased to a 6-4, 6-2 win over Thailand's Lanlana Tararudee in her bid for a second consecutive Grand Slam title, while runner-up Karolina Muchova outclassed Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0.
Alcaraz flies through
Carlos Alcaraz took centre stage in the evening session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the Spanish second seed dropped the opening set before blowing away Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 with superb shot-making to ease any lingering fears about his wrist injury.
“I wanted to be quick … I'm not going to lie,” Alcaraz said after spending two hours and 40 minutes on court.
“But at the end I realised that I'm just playing four sets, it was really good for me to test everything physically, to test my body, how I feel, and tomorrow how I'm going to feel after this match, after four sets.”
Former winner Daniil Medvedev weathered an avian interruption to soar into the next round. The 2021 champion had his feathers ruffled in a 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 victory over US wild card Sebastian Gorzny on Louis Armstrong Stadium when two birds landed on the net.
Eighth seed Ben Shelton had a more difficult time, beating Poland's Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 as he relied on the energy of the home crowd to power through.
The Montreal winner has emerged as one of the best hopes of ending a 23-year US men's major drought in a diminished field missing injured world number one Jannik Sinner.
