Second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus moved into the third round of the US Open on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Britain's Jodie Burrage.
Australian Open champion Sabalenka next plays Frenchwoman Clara Burel, the world number 62 who dumped out 2016 US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova in straight sets.
Sabalenka, 25, has reached the semi-finals at the past four Grand Slams and can replace Iga Swiatek as the new world number one if she matches the Pole's result in New York.
"I'm not really focused on that, but it's going to mean a lot to me," said Sabalenka.
"It's one of my goals, one of my dreams and I'll do my best to reach my dream."
AFP