The third seed secured a 6-2 6-4 victory over Russian Margarita Gasparyan, who had never made it past the second round in New York. Although Williams steamrolled past her opponent in the first set, Gasparyan fought back and made the former champion earn her spot in the third round.

It began as a routine day at the office for the 23-time Grand Slam champion, who raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set. However, Gasparyan broke Williams to love as she served for the set, before herself succumbing to a break that gifted the American the first set.

The second set saw momentum swing between both ladies, as they exchanged breaks to level the set at 4-4. Eventually, Williams secured the crucial break at 5-4, and served out the match after an hour and 33 minutes.

Following her record-setting 103rd win at the US Open, Williams faces a familiar foe in Sloane Stephens. Her American counterpart brushed past Olga Govortsova earlier in the day, but trails Williams 1-5 in career meetings. Her sole victory came at the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2013, a thrilling encounter that went to three sets.

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