Iga Swiatek said a chat with tennis great Serena Williams gave her a "positive kick" for her dominant third-round victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Poland's Swiatek, who triumphed in New York in 2022, did not face a single break point as she defeated the Russian 6-4 6-2 in the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The top seed was seen talking with 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams in the the players' gym before the match.
"It was nice that she approached me, because I wouldn't, for sure, find courage to do that," Swiatek said.
"Even though we met before and for like a couple of years we have been on the same sides and on tour together, she's still like star-striking for me."
She added that the encounter with Williams, a six-time winner at Flushing Meadows, "inspired me and it gave me, like, a positive kick."
Despite a near-flawless display against Pavlyuchenkova, Swiatek believes there is still room for improvement.
"It's not like my tennis is perfect," the five-time Grand Slam winner said.
"It is weird because I have been number one and winning tournaments, I feel I need to work on some stuff."
Pavlyuchenkova, stung by a 6-0 6-0 loss to Swiatek in their previous meeting, dug deep in the opening set but was unable to recover from dropping serve in the first game.
The 25th seed couldn't compete with Swiatek as the world number one upped her level in the second set, making just one unforced error as she broke twice before serving out the victory.
She will meet Liudmila Samsonova in the fourth round after the Russian 16th seed had breezed past American Ashlyn Krueger in 62 minutes, winning 6-1 6-1.
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