New York (AFP) – World number two Aryna Sabalenka reached a second successive US Open final on Thursday when she defeated a battling Emma Navarro as well as a partisan crowd to move one win away from her third Grand Slam title. Double Australian Open champion Sabalenka triumphed over the 13th-seeded American 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) and will face either Jessica Pegula of the United States or the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova in Saturday’s final.
Navarro, playing in her first semi-final at the majors, went down fighting. She clawed her way back from 3-5 down in the second set to take her chances in a tiebreak. Sabalenka sent down 34 winners to the 13 of the 23-year-old American in the tie. “Guys, now you’re cheering for me. Wow. It’s a bit too late,” Sabalenka told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. “It really means a lot and even though you guys were supporting her still I had the goose bumps for you cheering. It was an incredible atmosphere.”
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She added: “I don’t really care who I face in the final because today was a good test of the crowd cheering for my opponent and even if it is going to be Pegula, I don’t care. I’m ready to face whoever.” The Florida-based Belarusian, runner-up to Coco Gauff of the US in New York last year, called on her raw power to secure the first set, nullifying Navarro’s smart use of the angles. Although an early break was cancelled out by the American, the 26-year-old edged ahead again in the sixth game before securing the opener on the back of 16 winners, twice as many as Navarro.
Sabalenka stretched to a 3-2 lead with a break in the second set, with Navarro having to fend off more break points to avoid slipping to a 2-5 deficit. That breathed new life into her challenge, and she broke Sabalenka when her rival served for the match, pulling level for 5-5. She even enjoyed a mini-break in the tiebreak before Sabalenka stormed back for victory.
– Pegula, Muchova eye final –
After losing six Grand Slam quarter-finals, 30-year-old Pegula is into her maiden semi-final and has not dropped a set over five rounds. On Wednesday, she knocked out top seed and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek for the loss of just six games. It was Pegula’s fourth win on hard courts against the Pole; after her three other wins, she went on to claim the title. “Finally, finally, I can say I’m a semi-finalist,” said Pegula. “To do it at prime time against the number one player in the world, it’s crazy, but I knew I could do it.”
After winning the Toronto title and finishing runner-up in Cincinnati, Pegula has won 14 of her 15 matches on the US hard court swing, including a three-set victory over Muchova in Cincinnati. Muchova is in the semi-finals in New York for a second successive year and also has not dropped a set. She made the French Open final in 2023, rising to a career-high eighth in the world before suffering a serious right wrist injury that required surgery. She only returned in June this year.
“There were a few bad days, and then I always try to just regroup and focus on the step that I could do, what’s the first step I can do towards recovery,” she said.
© 2024 AFP
