Belarus's Victoria Azarenka and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine are set for a politically-charged US Open grudge match after advancing to a second round showdown on Tuesday.
Former world number one Azarenka defeated Ashlyn Krueger of the United States in three sets while Kostyuk advanced to the second round with a straight sets win over Egypt's Mayar Sherif.
The results mean Azarenka and Kostyuk will face off against each other on Thursday against the backdrop of simmering recent player tensions caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.