A year ago, Aryna Sabalenka had to admit defeat to the US crowd favorite Coco Gauff in the final in New York. In the semifinals, she now meets an American again – and does better.
Top favorite Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus has reached the final of the US Open, just like last year, and can hope for her first title in New York. With her powerful attacking tennis, the world number two defeated the American Emma Navarro in the first semi-final in 90 minutes with 6:3, 7:6 (7:2).
This is Sabalenka’s fourth Grand Slam final and she will now face Czech Karolina Muchova or Jessica Pegula from the USA. She has won the Australian Open twice so far, and lost to US crowd favorite Coco Gauff in three sets at the 2023 US Open.
Sabalenka passes the mood test
Unlike her defeat in the final a year ago, Sabalenka initially appeared unimpressed by the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium, which mostly cheered on the American underdog.
“Now you’re cheering for me, that’s a bit late,” she said jokingly to the cheering fans after the victory. “Even though you were cheering her on, I had goosebumps, it was an incredible atmosphere. She played brilliantly and I’m really happy to have made it through this difficult semi-final.” Navarro made it into the top four at a Grand Slam for the first time and also defeated defending champion Gauff in New York.
Intimidating start from Sabalenka
Sabalenka got off to an intimidating start, leading 2-0 after just five minutes. But Navarro recovered and was able to break her opponent’s serve. However, she was rarely able to counter Sabalenka’s immense pace. The 26-year-old Belarusian won the first set with 16 direct winning shots.
After an even start to the second set, Sabalenka managed to break to 3:2. At 5:4 she served to win the match, but Navarro did not give up and came back into the game. In the tie-break, Sabalenka showed her extra class and nerves of steel and sealed the victory with a thunderous overhead shot.
Source: Stern
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