Overview

• The defending champion won 6-3, 7-6(2) on Louis Armstrong Stadium, framing the rematch as payback for her 2021 semifinal defeat.
• Aryna Sabalenka said she wanted to show she had learned from that loss and developed as a player, calling the result an important personal milestone.
• She controlled the key moments, facing only one additional break point after the opening game and closing with a decisive second‑set tiebreak.
• Next she plays unseeded Spaniard Cristina Bucsa, who advanced by defeating 19th seed Elise Mertens.
• Elsewhere in the draw, ninth seed Elena Rybakina routed Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-2, while Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova and Jessica Pegula also progressed; a fan’s marriage proposal briefly punctuated Sabalenka’s match.