Victoria Azarenka joins Serena Williams and Steffi Graf on big milestone after reaching the US Open third round

Although it seems unlikely at this stage in her career that Azarenka will capture another Grand Slam singles title, she is still capable of defeating the very best on tour.

In fact, Azarenka’s victory has placed her in a conversation with some of the very best in women’s tennis history.

Victoria Azarenka has won 100 women’s singles main draw matches at hard court Grand Slams in the Open Era

Victoria Azarenka made Open Era history on Wednesday.

As per OptaAce, Victoria Azarenka is the fifth player in the Open Era to claim 100 or more women’s singles main draw wins at hard court Grand Slams

The other players to achieve this feat are Serena and Venus Williams, Steffi Graf and Lindsay Davenport.

Azarenka’s level on hard courts has been a strength throughout her career, having won three of her four Grand Slam titles on the surface.

The Belarusian won back-to-back Australian Open Women’s Singles titles in 2012 and 2013, while also winning the 2007 US Open Mixed Doubles tournament alongside Max Mirnyi.

Azarenka’s only non-hard court major triumph came at the French Open in 2008, when she won the Mixed Doubles title while partnered with American doubles legend Bob Bryan.

Victoria Azarenka and Jessica Pegula’s stalemate

Victoria Azarenka and Jessica Pegula have played each other six times on the WTA Tour, spanning a period of four years.

The pair first met at the 2021 Australian Open, with Pegula claiming victory by a scoreline of 7-5 6-4.

Since then, the pair have met a further five times. To date, each player has won three matches across the six they have contested.

This means their US Open third-round match could end up being the deciding factor in their rivalry if they never play each other again.