Top-6 seeds Pegula, Paolini into Open's 2nd week

American Jessica Pegula, the No. 6 seed, has reached the second week of the US Open without dropping a set, easing past Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 6-3 in their first meeting Saturday.

Since the start of 2021, Pegula has won 25 matches at the hardcourt Slams, trailing only Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.

"I thought I just played solid," Pegula said in her on-court interview. "I didn't do anything crazy ... bad or amazing."

Earlier Saturday, Jasmine Paolini, a two-time Slam finalist in 2024, defeated 30th seed Yulia Putintseva in straight sets en route to the round of 16, becoming the first Italian woman to reach that stage of the New York major since Roberta Vinci in 2016.

With her 6-3, 6-4 victory, the No. 5-seeded Paolini has now reached the fourth round or better at all four Slams this season, after never having advanced past the second round. Since the Open era began in 1968, only two other women have made their first four major round of 16 appearances in the same year: Christina Sandberg (1970) and Eugenie Bouchard (2014).

Paolini, the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon, has 18 Grand Slam match wins this season, which ranks first among women.

She next plays Monday against Czechia's Karolina Muchova, who beat Anastasia Potapova of Russia 6-4, 6-2.

Muchova has won eight of her last nine US Open matches after making the semifinals last year, where she lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff. Muchova had a 7-5 record at Flushing Meadows over her first five main draw appearances.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.