NEW YORK, Aug. 30 -- World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki raced into the second round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday, dismantling 125th-ranked Spaniard Nuria Llagostera 6-3, 6-1.
No. 4 Victoria Azarenka wasted little time in establishing herself as one of the contenders for the U.S. Open title, quickly dispatching Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-1, 6-3.
Wozniacki, who has won six titles this year, had little time to savor the win before she was again parrying questions over whether she needs a Grand Slam crown to legitimize her place atop the rankings.
French Open champion Li Na, No. 6 seed, led the seeded player ousted from the tournament, who lost to Romanian teenager Simona Halep 6-2, 7-5.
"I won six tournaments this year," noted Wozniacki, who added a fourth straight New Haven title to her resume on Saturday. "I'm happy, healthy, and I can go out there and compete. That's what's most important.
"It has actually been nice the last three, four weeks because I haven't gotten any questions about number one."
Wozniacki said she's working now with a coach who prefers to remain in the background, but is happy receiving long-distance advice.
Perhaps overwhelmed by making her debut on Arthur Ashe stadium, Larsson, No. 61 seed, managed to win only seven points in the first five games of the match, struggling to land her first serves in the court while Azarenka didn't face a break point on her own serve.
Azarenka will play Gisela Dulko of Argentina in the second round. The two played in the second round of the U.S. Open last year in an infamous match where Azarenka collapsed on the Grandstand court.