Swiatek winning easily but knows who is No 1 at US Open

NEW YORK (AP):

Iga Swiatek is winning easily -- and quietly.

At this US Open, even the world's No 1 player is a distant No 2 as long as Serena Williams is still around.

"Yeah, that's kind of her time right now," Swiatek said. "I'm just, you know, playing and focusing on that, and that's the most important thing for me."

The two-time French Open champion beat 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 yesterday in the second round for her WTA Tour-leading 50th victory this season.

A day after Williams eliminated No 2 seed Anett Kontaveit, with No 3 Maria Sakkari losing earlier Wednesday, Swiatek perhaps looms as an even bigger threat to win a seventh title this year, something no woman has done since Williams in 2014.

Past US Open champions Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu have also been eliminated, along with 2021 runner-up Leylah Fernandez.

Swiatek came to the US Open just 4-4 in her last eight matches after winning 37 straight, but has dropped just eight games through two rounds. She needed only 1 hour, 14 minutes to beat Stephens, having no trouble with her first match in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"Honestly, I just tried to have the same kind of motivation or attitude as any other court, because it's the best way for me to perform good," Swiatek said. Williams resumes what could be her final singles tournament today, leading off the night session on Ashe for the third time this week against Ajla Tomljanovic.

Other winners Thursday included No 8 Jessica Pegula, No 9 Garbine Muguruza, No 13 Belinda Bencic and No 26 Victoria Azarenka, who didn't get a handshake from Marta Kostyuk after beating the Ukrainian player.

Azarenka is from Belarus, which helped Russia launch its invasion of Ukraine.

"I just don't think it's the right thing to do in the circumstances I'm in right now," Kostyuk said about a handshake, instead offering only a racket tap at the end.

No 3 Carlos Alcaraz tied for the season lead in victories on the men's tour with his 46th by beating Federico Coria of Argentina 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.

No 9 Andrey Rublev, No 11 Jannik Sinner and No 15 Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, advanced, but No 25 Borna Coric was upset by American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 7-6 (10), 6-1. Brooksby reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows as a 20-year-old last year, winning a set from Novak Djokovic.

He will play the 19-year-old Alcaraz next.

"I'm going to bring in my best," Alcaraz said. "It's going to be a good, competitive battle out there."