Aryna Sabalenka Advances to US Open Semifinals with Dominant Victory

Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed and last year’s US Open runner-up, displayed an impressive performance on Tuesday night, surrendering just three games to her opponent Zheng Qinwen during the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows. This victory marked Sabalenka’s fourth consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the tournament.

The quarterfinal match featuring Sabalenka and the seventh-seeded Zheng was significant as it was a rematch of the Australian Open final held in January, which Sabalenka had won. This was also the first matchup in this year’s US Open to feature players ranked in the top ten of the women’s division.

Sabalenka, who enjoyed the support of former player Maria Sharapova in the stands, secured a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win, setting the stage for her upcoming match against American Emma Navarro. Last year, Sabalenka faced American Leylah Fernandez in the final, where she was met with overwhelming support for her opponent, a dynamic she acknowledged during her post-match interview.

Following her match, Sabalenka was humorously queried by ESPN‘s Pam Shriver regarding strategies to gain more local support. In response, the Belarusian player jestingly offered to buy drinks for the crowd, stating, “Drinks on me tonight?” She further encouraged the audience to support her in the next match against Navarro, whom she recognized as a formidable competitor.

This year, Sabalenka has been in remarkable form, winning 33 out of 36 sets in Grand Slam tournaments. She aspires to achieve the unique milestone of becoming the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to secure major titles at both the Australian Open and US Open.

The other half of the women’s semifinal draw will be determined shortly, with the top seed facing the sixth seed, and the 22nd seed competing against an unseeded player. Sabalenka’s victory over Zheng also highlights her impressive record in major quarterfinals; she now stands at 9-1, boasting the second-best win percentage among women since the Open era commenced in 1968.

Zheng, who clinched a gold medal at the recent Paris Olympics, expressed her disappointment after the match. She revealed that her serve was not up to her usual standards and attributed her performance to the exhaustion from a late fourth-round match that had concluded at 2:15 a.m. earlier that week.