With luck on her side, Paolini joins Fernandez and Shnaider in US Open third round
NEW YORK -- Winning the US Open requires plenty of skill, but good fortune is also needed to be crowned champion. A two-time Grand Slam singles runner-up, Jasmine Paolini's talent isn't in question, and she now may have luck on her side.
US Open: Scores | Order of play | Draws
A fan gifted Paolini a $2 bill -- widely regarded as a symbol of good luck -- following her 6-4, 6-1 second-round win over compatriot Lucrezia Stefanini in 1 hour and 17 minutes. She hopes to put it to good use in the days ahead.
"It was a nice gift. She told me, 'This is the lucky one, so keep it for yourself,'" Paolini said in her post-match press conference. "So I put it in the bag, and it will stay with me. We'll see if it's going to work."
Paolini didn't have to sweat much Wednesday, a needed reprieve after going three sets in her opener against Veronika Erjavec. Her path forward gets significantly more challenging in the third round, however, when she faces No. 16 seed Sorana Cirstea in what's expected to be the Romanian's final US Open.
"She's played better than me this year. But I'm going to try to do my best and play a good match," Paolini said. "I've played many times against her -- the last one I don't remember when it was -- but it's going to be a tough one because I think she has a lot of confidence right now.
"I know it could be (her) last US Open, but I'm not going to think about it because I have to focus on what I have to do on court."
Paolini leads their WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz head-to-head 3-0, but two of those matches were three-setters.
The Italian wasn't the only former Major finalist in action to kick off Day 4, with the likes of Leylah Fernandez and Karolina Pliskova producing mixed results.
Former US Open runner-up Fernandez races into to third round
Fernandez was World No. 73 and just 18 years old when she reached the 2021 US Open final, losing to Emma Raducanu. This week, she entered as the No. 31 seed and has won her first two matches in straight sets after defeating Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1 win in 1 hour and 18 minutes to reach the third round.
It marks back-to-back third-round appearances in New York for Fernandez, who lost in the first round at the previous three Slams of 2026. She'll face No. 3 seed and fellow US Open runner-up Jesscia Pegula next. Pegula leads the head-to-head 3-1, but Fernandez won their most recent meeting in Washington D.C., last year en route to the title.
Shnaider continues excellent form, ousts former No. 1 Pliskova in straight sets
Diana Shnaider reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros in June and has recaptured that magic during the Hard-Court Swing. She reached the semis in Washington, D.C, the quarterfinals in Toronto and is into the third round in New York after defeating former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova.
Pliskova, who lost the 2016 US Open final to Angelique Kerber in three sets, forced a second-set tiebreak, but Shnaider prevailed 6-1, 7-6 (4) in 1 hour and 24 minutes. Shnaider will now shift her focus toward a first-time meeting with American Taylor Townsend for a spot in the Round of 16.
