World number one Iga Swiatek charged into the US Open third round on Thursday, routing 217th-ranked Ena Shibahara of Japan 6-0, 6-1.
Poland’s Swiatek, the 2022 US Open winner who is seeking to add a second title in New York to her four French Open triumphs, overwhelmed the 26-year-old qualifier, who was in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time.
She needed just 65 minutes to advance to play either 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Elisabetta Cocciaretto for a place in the last 16.
Swiatek has never lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 at a Grand Slam, improving to 20-0.
She won the first seven games before Shibahara held serve to make it 1-1 in the second set, holding her nerve to save three break points in a 13-minute game that would be the only game she won.
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