(New York) Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, 2^e world player and contender for the United States Open, easily qualified for the round of 16 on Saturday, dismissing the last French of the women’s table Clara Burel 6-1, 6-1.

In the men’s draw, the world number one, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, was competing at midday for his 3^e round against Britain’s Daniel Evans (28^e), to try to also qualify in 1/8^e of final. The defending champion won the first two sets of the game (6-2, 6-3).

The 3^e world player, Russian Daniil Medvedev, is also trying to reach the eighth. Opposed Saturday evening to the Argentinian Sebastian Baez (32^e world), he could find the 20-year-old Spanish prodigy in the semi-finals if both continue their course.

Facing Sabalenka, the step was too high for Clara Burel, 62^e world player, like the first point of the game, won on a devastating forehand by Belarus. Sabalenka folded the game in an hour.

“Very happy” with her “performance”, the 2^e world player is at ease in New York, where she has reached the semi-finals of the last two editions, and where she likes “the atmosphere” and “the public”.

Saturday, she was more expeditious than in the first two rounds (victories 6-3, 6-2), especially during her first match where she had committed eight double faults.

A matter of mind

“I’m happy to have corrected that and to serve better,” she noted at a press conference. “You really have to be strong mentally, because it’s a two-week tournament, and sometimes, some games, you don’t feel your best, it’s all about the mind,” added Sabalenka.

On the Louis Armstrong court, Clara Burel, 22, fought but lost too many precious points on her serve, notably committing five double faults. In the second set, the Frenchwoman found the resources to win the first game on her serve and gave Sabalenka a bit of a hard time, even giving herself her only break point, which she did not convert while trailed 4-1.

Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open this season, will face in 1/8^e the Russian Daria Kasatkina (14^e world player) who beat the Belgian Greet Minnen (6-3, 6-4) on Saturday morning.

Another title contender, Tunisian Ons Jabeur, 5^e world player and finalist of the 2022 edition in New York, must face Saturday evening, on the Arthur Ashe court, the Czech and 31^e world player Marie Bouzkova.

In the other part of the women’s draw, defending champion and world number one player, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, is still in contention, as well as American Coco Gauff (6^e world player), in good shape after her victories in the Washington and Cincinnati tournaments, and the Danish and former world first player, Caroline Wozniacki, who is making a convincing comeback for her first Grand Slam since her retirement, in 2020, for give birth to two children.

Gauff, 19, and Wozniacki, 33, are due to battle it out for a place in the quarterfinals.