NEW YORK, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Caroline Wozniacki launched her campaign for first ever major title with a 6-2, 6-0 thrashing of Arantxa Rus in the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday.
The Dane has been bothered by the pressure of being world No.1 without having won a Grand Slam for nearly a year following her rise to the top of the rankings last October.
A third-round defeat at the French Open and a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon this summer increased the heat further, although the 21-year-old has always insisted it is not something that bothers her.
Wozniacki came close to a grand slam breakthrough at Flushing Meadows in 2009 when she reached the final but she was beaten by Kim Clijsters.
Dutchwoman Rus showed her potential by upsetting Clijsters in the second round of the French Open this year and the 20-year-old began well on Arthur Ashe Stadium, breaking the Wozniacki serve in the first game.
The top seed has been vulnerable against attacking players like Rus in the past but she retrieved the break straight away and began to take control.
Wozniacki will play the third round against American Vania King, who upset Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova, seeded 29, 6-2, 6-0.
In earlier matches of women's draw, Serena Williams and last year's French Open champion Francesca Schiavone played red hot matches in U.S. Open as Williams allowed only one game and Schiavone surrendered two in cuising into third round.
Williams dusted off Michaella Krajicek 6-0, 6-1 in 49 minutes thanks to 25 winners to just 10 unfroced errors.
No. 7 seed Schiavone, who won at Roland Garros in 2010, routed Mirjana Lucic, 6-1, 6-1 in the first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Schiavone didn't face a break point against Lucic, and broke the 96th-seeded Croatian five times in eight chances.
Former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic faced even less of a test, advancing with a walkover against Petra Cetkovsa because of a left thigh injury. Cetkvosa had beaten Ivanovic in the third round of Wimbledon.
Another former No. 1, Jelena Jankovic, took out Jelena Dokic 6-4, 6-4. The 11th-seeded Serbian, who is rumored to be feuding with Maria Sharapova, now takes on the 17th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who powered off Petra Martic of Croatia, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Other seeds moving on were 10th seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany, who beat China's Zheng Jie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3; 15th seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, who dismissed Britain's Elena Baltacha, 6-4, 6-3 and 18th seeded Roberta Vinci as the Italian edged off Alize Cornet of France, 6-2, 6-3.
