{
  "id": 5226760,
  "title": "Sabalenka races into US Open third round",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/sabalenka-races-into-us-open-third-round-5226760",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T01:52:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/09/03/sabalenka-races-into-us-open-third-round"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Top seed Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the third round of the US Open on Wednesday, defeating Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1. The Ukrainian tennis star, who recently suffered defeats at the French Open and Wimbledon, dominated Iatcenko, a 22-year-old qualifier making her first Grand Slam singles appearance. Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion who has won New York twice before, expressed her preference for the vibrant night atmosphere at Flushing Meadows. Despite Iatcenko getting a single point in the match, Sabalenka maintained a 5-0 lead in the first set, breaking her opponent just once. She continued her strong performance in the second set, winning three consecutive games to seal the victory. Sabalenka will next face Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rahimova in the third round.",
  "summary": "Top seed Aryna Sabalenka relishes the hard courts of Flushing Meadow as she defeats Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Ben Shelton moves on to third round at US Open after overcoming ‘tall task’ vs. Hubert Hurkacz",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/ben-shelton-moves-on-to-third-round-at-us-open-after-overcoming-tall",
        "published": "2026-09-02T23:27:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Sabalenka races into US Open third round",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/sabalenka-races-into-us-open-third-round",
        "published": "2026-09-03T01:52:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "Sabalenka earns 53-minute US Open win - but tension still shows",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/sabalenka-earns-53-minute-us-open-win-but-tension-still-shows",
        "published": "2026-09-03T02:21:11.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "Sabalenka earns 53-minute US Open win – but tension still shows",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/sabalenka-earns-53-minute-us-open-win-but-tension-still-shows-5251085",
        "published": "2026-09-03T05:18:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}