By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Reigning champions Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Friday as they quieten pre-tournament concerns with more compelling wins.
Another former champion, Daniil Medvedev, stayed unblemished in New York as he beat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-4 6-4 6-4 to reach the round of 16 without dropping a set.
Sabalenka arrived in New York amid concern over a frustrating slump in her game but looked perfectly in form,
never facing a break and launching 10 aces to blaze past Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 6-4.
"I am comfortable here. I love it here. If comparing to the other slams, I feel pretty good on all of them," said Sabalenka, whose biggest problem on Friday was the smell of cannabis on the court. "I just love New York, and probably that makes me feel like home here."
Sabalenka faces American Taylor Townsend in the round of 16.
While Alcaraz's long injury layoff was once the subject of hand-wringing among his fans, the Spaniard treated the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to another flashy performance, beating China's Wu Yibing 6-3 6-4 6-1.
"I'm better than I thought. Physically, I thought I was going to be dead after the first match," said Alcaraz. "My level is really high."
He will now play American Tommy Paul, who knocked out Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik 6-4 3-6 6(4)-7 6-1 6-3 earlier on Friday.
A day after Madison Keys saved five match points to stay alive, her compatriot Jessica Pegula recovered from a dreadful opening set to down 2021 finalist Leylah Fernandez 1-6 6-4 6-3.
Pegula, the 2024 runner-up, has a shot at achieving her childhood dream of reaching the world number one ranking in Flushing and is one of three players who could dethrone Sabalenka. She will play Romanian Sorana Cirstea next.
Cirstea knocked out Italian 19th seed Jasmine Paolini in earlier action on the outer courts.
Ukraine's 11th seed Marta Kostyuk beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-2, inching closer to punching her ticket for a maiden trip to the WTA Finals.
WILLIAMS SISTERS REUNITE
Venus and Serena Williams return to Flushing Meadows later on Friday, when the twice U.S. Open women's doubles champions open the night session in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Few expected to see the pair play together again after their 2022 appearance in New York, in what many presumed to be Serena's farewell season. The sisters reunited in Cincinnati last month amid Serena's renaissance campaign, but lost in the opener to Kostyuk and American Peyton Stearns.
The home fans will have two men's contenders to cheer for, as well, in the evening programme, as Ben Shelton plays Canadian Denis Shapovalov and Frances Tiafoe plays Monaco's Valentin Vacherot.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; editing by Clare Fallon)
