Maria Sharapova will face the new hero of American tennis for the second year running at the US Open after booking her place in the third round at Flushing Meadows.

Sharapova beat Iveta Benesova 6-1 6-2 in just 66 minutes in the second round to set up a last-32 clash with home favourite Beatrice Capra, the 18-year-old having earlier put out France's Aravane Rezai, the 18th seed.

The 23-year-old Russian, the 14th seed, will take on Capra for a place in the last 16 after the 18-year-old, who is making her main tour debut in New York, made the most of claiming a place in the tournament by winning an eight-woman USTA wild card play-off.

Capra, ranked a lowly 371st in the world, admitted: "I don't even want to think about playing Sharapova right now. But it would be so amazing if I got to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium. I can't believe that I just won my first two matches here."

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki, who could face Capra in the fourth round, wasted no time in reaching the last 32, hammering Kai-Chen Chang of Chinese Taipei 6-0 6-0 in just 47 minutes.

Wozniacki, who lost to Kim Clijsters in last year's final, has dropped just two games in her first two matches, but believes she already has plenty of tough matches under her belt after compiling a 14-1 win-loss record in four events since Wimbledon.

"I've been playing really great tennis, I'm feeling good so no worries," Wozniacki said. "It's just about winning and getting through to the next rounds. As long as I win it doesn't really matter what the match looks like."

Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic came through a tough clash with former Wimbledon semi-finalist Mirjana Lucic, Jankovic winning 6-4 3-6 6-2 as Lucic made almost 60 unforced errors.

Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva also moved into the third round with victory over Germany's Sabine Lisicki. Russia's Zvonareva cruised through the opening set but had to come back from a break down in the second to secure a 6-1 7-6 (7/5) victory after Lisicki served for the set at 5-4.

Former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova had no trouble in beating Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova 6-2 6-3, while Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer beat Julia Goerges 6-4 7-5, but 22nd seed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez lost in straight sets to Switzerland's Patty Schnyder.