Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the third round of the US Open with a blistering straight-sets win as Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare to advance.
Alcaraz demolished Mattia Bellucci to banish memories of last year's shock early exit, while Serbian great Djokovic shook off a sluggish start to stay on course for a potential semi-final showdown with the Spaniard.
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.
The 22-year-old Spaniard blew away Italy's Bellucci 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 in just one hour and 36 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium main court.
Alcaraz unfurled a stream of 32 winners in a dominant display against the 65th-ranked opponent, whose best performance in a Grand Slam came with a run to the third round at Wimbledon earlier this year.
"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.
"I played great to be honest, from the beginning until the last ball," added Alcaraz, who will face another Italian, 32nd seed Luciano Darderi, in the next round. "The less time I spend on court the better for me, to go to bed early."
Meanwhile, Serbian legend Djokovic kept his dream of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title alive after a four-set defeat of American qualifier Zachary Svajda.
Djokovic was forced to dig deep after losing the first set before claiming a 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win.
Djokovic, 38, said that while not at his best, he is hoping to play himself into form as the tournament progresses.
"That's what I'm hoping, the deeper I go into the tournament the better I feel about my game," he said.
Djokovic's victory sees him into the third round at the US Open for a record-equalling 19th time, where he will face Britain's Cameron Norrie, who defeated Argentina's Francisco Comesana 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-7 (0/7), 7-6 (7/4).
Also, world number one Aryna 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 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."
Fourth seed Jessica Pegula cruised past Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium, setting up a meeting with three-times finalist Victoria Azarenka.
The Belarusian had earlier become only the fifth woman in the professional era to claim 100 or more singles main draw wins at hardcourt majors with her 6-3, 6-3 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Pegula's American compatriot Taylor Townsend prevailed 7-5, 6-1 against Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko in an ill-tempered match.
