Third seed Jessica Pegula eases through in just 56 minutes at US Open

[p]In the first match of the day on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Pegula dropped only three of her first-serve points and never faced a break point. The 2024 runner-up, who is seeking her maiden major title as well as top spot in the rankings, booked a meeting with 2021 finalist Leylah Fernandez.[/p][p]Wildcard Kenin has struggled as injuries and illness saw her tumble down the rankings after her breakthrough 2020 Australian Open win and she was never able to get a foothold in the match as she suffered yet another early exit from her domestic major.[/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="841753a4-350c-44c8-9e24-c832aa6a852c" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="00238c4a-b58d-4284-868c-b6df52d7cd47" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Kenin handed her opponent the break with a double fault in the opening game and Pegula broke her again on set point with a fine forehand before slamming her foot down on the gas.[/p][p]The runner-up at the Cincinnati tune-up tournament was near flawless as she won the first five games of the second set, producing just two unforced errors before closing it out with an unreturnable serve.[/p][p]"I'm going for my spots, I'm going pretty big on second serves," said Pegula, adding that she had put effort into adding more firepower to her serve. "Really excited when I can practise something and it pays off in a match."[/p][infobox id="3dc51b3a-107f-482b-9173-a97d347ef1b3" /]