Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark returns volley to Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK - Top seed Caroline Wozniacki took another step in her campaign for a first grand slam title by surging past Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-2 6-0 on Thursday to reach the third round of the US Open.

After a stuttering start in which she was twice broken by the 82nd-ranked Rus, Wozniacki swept the last nine games of the 63-minute match.

"I think I started off a little bit slower, I didn't get too many first serves in," Wozniacki said in an on-court interview.

The Dane picked up steam as the match wore on, landing 13 of 15 first serves in the second set.

Wozniacki, who has won six tournaments this year, next plays unseeded American Vania King, a straight-sets winner against 29th seed Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia.