New York (AFP) – World number two Aryna Sabalenka reached a second successive US Open final on Thursday when she defeated a battling Emma Navarro 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, however, when 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. “I don’t really care who I face in the final because tonight I heard the crowd cheer for my opponent.”
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She added: “I was like ‘Aryna stay focussed — not this time, guys.” The Florida-based Belarusian, runner-up to Coco Gauff 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.
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