Aryna Sabalenka needed just 53 minutes to crush Polina Iatcenko on Arthur Ashe Stadium. She needed far less time to lose patience in the press room.
The two-time defending US Open champion, chasing a third straight title in New York, dismantled the Russian qualifier 6-1 6-1, extending her dominance at Flushing Meadows. World No 1, in full control, barely broke a sweat on court.
Off it, the temperature spiked.
Sabalenka bristles at “parties” question
Sabalenka, a prolific presence on social media and a high-profile face for several brands, again faced questions about her off-court schedule after the match — a repeat line of inquiry from her first-round win.
This time, she snapped.
"You guys are, like, a joke," she shot back when asked if her pre-tournament “parties” and fun might have affected her preparation.
"Parties, fun. Like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? What kind of question is that?
"Just because I posted, like, some activities with brands, and you think that I've been partying, not training? The question, like, what is that?"
When the reporter tried to clarify — "I'm saying that there are a lot of events and things like that. I'm not saying you go to the parties" — Sabalenka cut in immediately.
"You literally said that. Next question."
The reporter attempted to walk it back for the room: "For everyone who is unclear, I'm not suggesting that Aryna is having fun at these parties."
"Thanks, yeah," Sabalenka replied, dryly.
"I'm saying that she makes a lot of appearances and there's a lot to do and lots of events, OK?" the reporter continued.
"OK. Move on," came the answer.
The exchange did move on, but not to safer ground. Sabalenka was then asked if, now that the tournament had started, she was becoming “quite serious and combative”.
"Oh, yeah, I wasn't serious before that," she said, before shutting it down. "Next question. Think before you say stuff."
On court, there has been no doubt about her seriousness. Sabalenka is hunting a 17th consecutive win at Flushing Meadows and trying to join Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only women in the Open Era to win three straight US Open titles. She faces Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday.
The tennis is doing the talking. She made clear she expects the questions to keep up.
Alcaraz turns the screw after slow start
Carlos Alcaraz also moved into the third round, and his scoreline told a story of early rust followed by ruthless control.
Back from a long layoff with a wrist injury, the defending champion dropped the opening set 4-6 to Portugal's Jaime Faria, then tore through the match 6-0 6-3 6-2.
He responded to that early deficit by reeling off eight games in a row, flipping the contest on its head and suffocating Faria’s resistance.
"After that I just tried to be focused, tried to stay calm and I'm thinking that good things are going to happen again," said Alcaraz, who is now on a 16-match winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments.
The comeback, and the calm that underpinned it, suggested his wrist is no longer the main storyline. His title defence is gathering pace.
Buse revives a family chapter
On Court Six, a different kind of history stirred.
Peru’s Ignacio Buse claimed his first US Open main-draw win in a five-set scrap, edging American Marcos Giron 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-7(6) 6-1 in three hours and 48 minutes.
He finished with a backhand volley, a clean strike that triggered loud celebrations from his team and the fans backing him in the stands. The victory carried extra weight: Buse followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who last won a match at this tournament in 1958.
"It's difficult to find the calm in those situations, but in the fifth set, I just tried to recover mentally," Ignacio said.
"It's a mental battle out there. I just stayed calm. It's a very special moment."
The fifth set showed exactly that. After the tension of a tight fourth-set tiebreak, Buse reset and raced away, dropping just one game.
Tsitsipas and Tiafoe grind their way through
Stefanos Tsitsipas also needed resilience. The Greek, who had already stunned 10th seed Arthur Fils in the first round, came from a set down to beat South Africa's Lloyd Harris 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.
The match turned on two tight sets in the middle. Tsitsipas steadied after losing a one-sided tiebreak, then edged the third-set breaker to seize control. He now faces Czech 18th seed Jiri Lehecka in what promises to be a bruising third-round encounter.
American hopes remain very much alive through Frances Tiafoe. The 11th seed handled Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-5, a straight-sets win that still demanded focus in the key moments.
Tiafoe’s victory keeps alive the home crowd’s dream of ending a 23-year wait for a US men’s champion in New York. With Alcaraz rolling, the draw tightening, and Sabalenka bristling but brutal, the question now is who can stay calm longest under the bright lights of Flushing Meadows.
