WHAT HAPPENED: Two-time US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka needed just 81 minutes to advance to the third round of this year's tournament on Wednesday, as she defeated No. 25 seed Daria Gavrilova, 6-1, 6-2, to start Day 3 on Court 17.
It was a match-up of two former junior champions with a spot in the round of 32 on the line, as 2005 US Open girls' champion Azarenka faced off against 2010 winner Gavrilova for the first time.
However, it was the 29-year-old former WTA world No. 1 who denied the 24-year-old Aussie a spot in the third round of the women's singles draw for the first time in her career, as she broke serve seven times and hit 13 winners.
"I was prepared to stay there as long as it needed to be, but it was good to see the consistent level,"Azarenka said after the match.
"There were no up-and-downs today. That's what I'm more happy about."
Azarenka made a statement immediately, as she broke Gavrilova twice to lead 3-0 at the first official changeover. Though she surrendered serve to love in the ensuing game, it was a minor blip for the Belarusian — who pocketed the set's final three games to move into the lead in just over 30 minutes.
The two-time Australian Open champion was similarly quick off the mark in the second set, as she never allowed Gavrilova a lead on the scoreboard and broke in the set's fourth game.
Nonetheless, she needed to outsteady the No. 25 seed to ultimately seal victory, and sprinted away with the last 10 points of the match.
WHAT IT MEANS: A wildcard into the main draw at this year's US Open, Azarenka is back into the third round for the first time since 2015 — which was also her last appearance in Flushing Meadows.
The Belarusian held the edge in all facets of the match, striking a tidy 13 winners to just 12 unforced errors, as the Aussie struggled with her consistency off the ground. Her unforced error count (26) was nearly double that of her total of winners (14), and though she landed 61 percent of her first serves, Azarenka's trademark returns were pinpoint.
Gavrilova won just 40 percent of points played behind her first serve in the match, and just 36 percent of points played behind her second serve. Azarenka won over 60 percent of the points played (36/58), in return games overall.
MATCH POINT: Azarenka has reached the third round for the first time in her three Grand Slam appearances this season. Further, she is unseeded in Flushing Meadows for the first time in over a decade, having last been so when she reached the fourth round as an 18-year-old, in 2007.
"Obviously, I played Cincinnati, played Montreal, it was a real struggle for me. I didn't feel like I wanted to play this much. I didn't really enjoy myself, because I feel like when you go through difficult times you sometimes have a very narrow focus on result only, and it's hard to look outside of that," Azarenka said.
"That's where I caught myself, really focusing on the result. It didn't bring me joy of the journey, of experience. It really held me back, I feel like it held me back from improving or transitioning from practice to match. It's been a really a struggle.
"Right now, I feel happy on the court. I feel happy outside of the court. I feel that little by little, I am making that transition. I feel a lot more comfortable, confident on the court. I really do enjoy playing and fighting and just being here."
