Jessica Pegula worked a tick over an hour to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Russia's Anna Blinkova.

Pegula, the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at last year's Open, had 30 winners and no double-faults and is set for a match against three-time runner-up and two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Friday.

Pegula has dropped only eight total games in her two matches. She has now posted wins in the first two rounds for the sixth consecutive U.S. Open.

Pegula and Azarenka each have three wins in their six career matches.

Pegula saved four match points in a third-set tiebreaker to defeat Azarenka at the Charleston Open in 2024. Azarenka claimed their 2023 match in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

A former World No. 1

See Full Page