Novak Djokovic tidied up early errors and recovered from a set down to get past American qualifier Zachary Svajda, as Briton Emma Raducanu had a far easier time advancing into the US Open third round on Wednesday.

The 24-times major winner Djokovic made 14 unforced errors in the first set compared to just 11 across the rest of the match as he eventually hit his stride at Arthur Ashe Stadium, beating Svajda 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3 6-1.

Svajda, who poked fun at his own long odds against the former world number one in a now-viral TikTok video, put up a surprise early fight to the delight of the home fans but was let down by an apparent leg injury midway into the match.

Djokovic next plays Briton Cameron Norrie.

American fourth seed Jessica Pegula followed on Ashe with a routine 6-1 6-3 win over Anna Blinkova and will next play three-time finalist Victoria Azarenka.

The Belarusian Azarenka became only the fifth woman in the professional era to claim 100 or more singles main draw wins at the hardcourt majors as she beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-3 earlier in the day at Stadium 17.

Raducanu needed only an hour to cruise past the Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen 6-2 6-1 in the first match of the day on Louis Armstrong Stadium, as she finds a way back to winning ways at the hardcourt tournament.

Raducanu had not won a US Open match since lifting the trophy in her remarkable run to the title in 2021 but appears in solid form this year, as she made just eight unforced errors.

"I'm particularly happy, because on the court, I felt like my opponent was playing really good tennis. I thought that she was very dangerous," she told reporters.

"So I'm very pleased with how I kept dictating the points, I kept dictating the play."

Raducanu will face ninth seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the third round. She continues in the tournament without British compatriot Jack Draper, who withdrew due to injury on Wednesday.

American fourth seed Taylor Fritz got past South African Lloyd Harris 4-6 7-6(3) 6-2 6-4 in the second match of the day on Armstrong, with Swiss qualifier Jerome Kym waiting for him in the third round.

Fritz is among the top contenders hoping to break a 22-year American men's drought at the tournament, along with Frances Tiafoe, who beat qualifier Martin Damm 6-4 7-5 6-7(8) 7-5.

"You've got to be brave, you've got to be courageous - there's no free lunches out here," said Tiafoe, who hopes to go all the way after reaching the semi-final twice before.

American 10th seed Emma Navarro swatted aside her compatriot, wild card Caty McNally, 6-2 6-1, while the Norwegian 12th seed and former finalist Casper Ruud fell to Belgian Raphael Collignon 6-4 3-6 3-6 6-4 7-5.

Carlos Alcaraz demolished Mattia Bellucci to banish memories of last year's shock early exit and stayed on course for a potential semifinal showdown with Djokovic.

Alcaraz lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round last year and while he made no mistake this time around he admitted that the stunning straight-sets defeat by the Dutchman had left a mark.

"If I'm honest, I thought about last year when I stepped on the court," the 2022 champion said. "Some bad thoughts. I was nervous about it, like thinking, okay, I don't want to do the same thing as I did last year, losing in the second round."

Despite the nerves Alcaraz unleashed 32 winners and won 86% of his first serve points in a clinical 96-minute, 6-1 6-0 6-3 demolition job that sets up a third-round match with another Italian, Luciano Darderi.

World number one Aryna's Sabalenka's pursuit of her first major silverware of the year continued with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win over Polina Kudermetova.

The defending champion, who has finished runner-up at two slams this year and exited in the semifinals of the other, will meet 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez of Canada in the next round.

"I know if I'm able to bring my game and fight for every point, I'll have my chances," Sabalenka said.

"All I try to do is focus on myself and bring the best fight possible every time I'm out here playing in front of you all."

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