Win and win quickly is new mantra as players suffer

● Temperature and humidity add extra dimension to matches

Defending champion Sloane Stephens and double US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka will meet in the third round after victories on another extremely hot and humid day at Flushing Meadows, where winning wasn’t enough.

Winning quickly and getting back indoors was on everyone’s mind. “Yeah, I’m very happy about that,” Azarenka said after overpowering 25th seed Daria Gavrilova of Australia 6-1, 6-2.

Stephens was not so lucky. She was in trouble early in her match, but rallied to beat Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Having lost an enduring opener in an hour and two minutes, Stephens broke three times in the second set only to be pegged back to 5-5 by Kalinina after receiving treatment for blisters on her hand.

The 25-year-old eventually closed out the set and, despite going a break down in the first game of the decider, proved too strong for the 21-year-old Ukrainian, who was playing in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Stephens, who said she had “two bites of sushi and a slushy” during the ten-minute heat break before the final set, bemoaned the conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium. “It was super hot,” she added. “I was sweating a lot and it was not ideal conditions, but I am happy to get through.

“I hope that I play a little bit better than today in the next round, go out and compete hard.”

Venus Williams was spared some of the most direct sun by playing in the rebuilt Louis Armstrong Stadium, which is well-shaded. But there was only so much protection available on a day when temperatures soared into the mid-90s for the second straight day.

Williams beat Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-5 in an hour and 52 minutes to book a potential third-round clash against her sister, Serena, who was due to face Carina Witthoft last night.

An extreme heat rule was to remain in effect until further notice, allowing men to take a ten-minute break between the third and fourth sets of singles matches, and women to do so between their second and third sets.

Other seeded winners on the women’s side included No8elinasvitolina,no15elise Mertens, No 19 Anastasija Sevastova and No 23 Barbora Strycova, all in straight sets. Mertens said: “Especially with the heat, I wanted to make the match a little shorter.”

Stan Wawrinka, pictured, took his US Open winning streak to nine and the 2016 champion will next meet 25th seed Milos Raonic. But No 15 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was eliminated in the second round, a surprisingly early

Twitter that men were allowed to change their shirts on court.

She wrote: “Alize Cornet came back to court after 10 minute heat break. Had her fresh shirt on back to front. Changed at back of court. Got a code violation. Unsportsmanlike conduct… but the men can change shirts on court.”

Retired Australian tennis star Casey Dellacqua tweeted it was “ridiculous, ” exit after his strong hardcourt season.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer has fired a warning shot to Gerard Pique after it was revealed the Barcelona footballer wants to hold the revamped Davis Cup in September.

Pique is behind the Kosmos investment group that has partnered with the Inter-

while five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-sands said it was “weak”. Otherscalledtherule “sexist” and tweeted photos of shirtless male players like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Cornet lost 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 to Sweden’s Larsson in the searing New York heat. Temperatures on Tuesday were close to 38°C at Flushing Meadows and conditions were made