Jessica Pegula advances at U.S. Open with win against Victoria Azarenka

NEW YORK — Jessica Pegula dominated early in her third-round match at the U.S. Open . The second set took much more work.

The Buffalo native and tournament No. 4 seed beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1, 7-5 on Friday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium to advance to the next round. She now has 14 straight wins against opponents ranked outside the top 50 at the U.S. Open.

Pegula made a name for herself during the U.S. Open a year ago, breaking through in the quarterfinals to beat then-No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-4. Pegula ultimately lost 7-5, 7-5 in the championship match to the world's current No. 1 player, Aryna Sabalenka.