Aryna Sabalenka continued her successful defense of the US Open tennis title. The world number 1 gave up only five games to the 95th ranked Spaniard Cristina Bucsa for the final 6-1, 6-4 in about an hour and 15 minutes of play.

Sabalenka dominated on her own serve, finishing with an 84% first points won and did not give Bucsa a single break point. She finished with nearly three times more winners than her opponent - 26 to 9.

The Belarusian representative has a quarterfinal ahead with former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. The Czech stopped ninth seed Elena Rybakina after 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. Vondrousova has a victory over Sabalenka this year, but on grass in Berlin in June. Last month, the Czech tennis player lost to the world number 1 in Cincinnati in straight sets.

In the other quarterfinal in the top half of the women's draw, last year's finalist Jessica Pegula, seeded fourth, will play former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova. | BGNES