Sabalenka flattens France’s Burel to reach U.S. Open fourth round
The HinduHistory repeated itself as Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka pummeled France’s Clara Burel 6-1 6-1 in the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday, ending the unseeded player’s New York campaign in dominant fashion. Burel showed some signs of life when she fended off a pair of break points in the opening game of the second set but Sabalenka quickly retook control. A semi-finalist in New York the last two years, Sabalenka faced her only break point of the match in the sixth game of the second set but extinguished Burel’s chances with a well-placed drop shot. Burel thrust her racquet to the ground in frustration after sending a forehand shot out in the final game of the second set, before Sabalenka broke her serve for the match with a backhand winner.