Azarenka collapses at Flushing Meadows

Number 10 seed Victoria Azarenka collapsed on court during her second-round match against Gisela Dulko at the US Open.

On another sweltering day in New York, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees, Azarenka slumped to the ground while serving at 15-30 and 5-1 down on the Grandstand Court.

Medical staff rushed to treat the 21-year-old from Belarus, who was then taken off the court in a wheelchair.

Azarenka had appeared to be struggling as early as the third game of the match when she received treatment for an arm injury but also looked to be suffering from blurred vision.

Speaking about the incident, Dulko said: ‘After that you don't think about tennis, you are just worried about your opponent.

‘Now she has gone to the hospital so I guess it's something serious and I hope she is feeling good soon.’

Asked about the conditions, Dulko added: ‘I'm used to this kind of weather but on the first day when I went to practice I was feeling dizzy as well.

‘It's hard to play in these conditions and today I am much better because I have been here a few days, but it's tough.’

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic booked her place in the third round of a grand slam for the first time this year following an upset win over China's Zheng Jie.

The Serb brushed aside her 21st-seeded opponent 6-3 6-0 in less than an hour as she showed signs of the form that helped her reach the top of the women's game.

Ivanovic, currently ranked 40 in the world, hit 22 winners in an unexpectedly dominant display in stiflingly hot conditions at Flushing Meadows.

The 22-year-old has struggled in the major tournaments in recent times having lost in the first round at Wimbledon earlier this year after second-round defeats at the Australian and French Opens.

She was also a first-round loser at the US Open last year, but now has the opportunity to match her best performance at Flushing Meadows, having reached the fourth round in 2007.

‘I remember a couple of years ago when I was here and I was saying, even though I'm number one I don't feel I'm playing as number one,’ Ivanovic said.

‘But now I feel like I'm playing like a top-10 player. I have confidence that I can beat these players. That's huge for me.

‘I was really happy with today's game because she's a tough opponent and I lost to her the last couple of times we played. I was expecting a really tough match.

‘I'm really happy the way I played and just stayed aggressive. Even when errors creeped in, I just kept looking for the ball that I knew I had to hit. It worked out well, so I'm pleased.’

Ivanovic will next meet the winner of the all-French clash between 13th seed and former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli and Virginie Razzano.

Elsewhere, 20th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova also advanced to the third round with a 6-2 6-4 win over India's Sania Mirza.