The women’s singles action at the 2026 US Open produced several dominant performances on Wednesday as the top contenders continued their push toward the business end of the tournament. Defending champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenka looked back to her best, dismantling Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in just 53 minutes, while world No. 3 Jessica Pegula also cruised into the third round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
Elsewhere, Marta Kostyuk moved past 2017 champion Sloane Stephens in straight sets, while Emma Navarro fought back from an opening-set loss to defeat fellow American Caty McNally. Karolina Muchova delivered one of the day’s most convincing wins by dropping just one game against Katie Boulter, and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova continued her Grand Slam run with another straight-sets victory. Here’s a closer look at the major women’s singles results from Wednesday.
Aryna Sabalenka Cruises Past Polina Iatcenko to Reach US Open Third Round
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her impressive US Open title defence with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 victory over Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko on Wednesday. The top seed needed just 48 minutes to dispatch the world No. 160 under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, taking another step toward a historic third consecutive title. Sabalenka raced through the opening set in 24 minutes and immediately broke Iatcenko in the second, although she briefly lost serve in the fourth game. The setback was short-lived as the Belarusian responded with another break and quickly regained control.
Sabalenka’s combination of power and accuracy proved too much for Iatcenko, who struggled to match her from the baseline as the match progressed. The victory extended Sabalenka’s US Open winning streak to 16 matches and earned her a third-round clash with Kamilla Rakhimova. A third straight crown would put the 28-year-old alongside Serena Williams and Chris Evert as only the third woman in the Open Era to win the US Open three years in a row.
Jessica Pegula Cruises Past Sofia Kenin to Reach US Open Third Round
Jessica Pegula produced a commanding performance at the US Open on Wednesday, brushing aside fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 in just 56 minutes to reach the third round. The No. 3 seed, who finished runner-up in New York in 2024, dropped only seven points on serve, hit 18 winners and committed just eight unforced errors while never facing a break point. Pegula broke Kenin for a 3-1 lead in the opening set and then rattled off seven straight games across the two sets to improve her career record against Kenin to 5-2. The victory also extended her run of reaching the third round in New York to seven consecutive years.
The result was far more straightforward than their previous US Open meeting in 2024, when Pegula needed a first-set tiebreak to get past the former Australian Open champion. Pegula will now face No. 31 seed Leylah Fernandez, another former US Open finalist, in the next round. Fernandez, who finished runner-up in 2021, booked her place in the third round by defeating Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1.
Emma Navarro, Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova Book US Open Third-Round Spots
Emma Navarro fought back from a set down to defeat fellow American Caty McNally 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 and reach the US Open third round. The No. 26 seed had to deal with another rain interruption after McNally took the opening set, but Navarro regained control when play resumed and completed the comeback. She will next face No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova, who produced one of the day’s most dominant performances by sweeping past Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0 in under an hour.
Marta Kostyuk also moved into the third round after beating 2017 champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5 in just under 90 minutes. The No. 11 seed’s greater consistency and firepower proved decisive against Stephens, who entered the tournament as the world No. 209 after a difficult period affected by injuries and a drop in the rankings. Kostyuk, meanwhile, has enjoyed a breakthrough season that has included French Open and Wimbledon semi-final appearances as well as two WTA titles.
Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova continued her strong Grand Slam run with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee. The No. 6 seed secured the only break of the opening set in the seventh game before taking control early in the second with two more breaks. Noskova wrapped up the match in 1 hour and 18 minutes, reaching the US Open third round for a second consecutive year and matching her best result at Flushing Meadows.
