New York | It’s a Sabalenka – Zheng showdown within the quarter-finals

In Sunday’s evening session matches, World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka eased previous Elise Mertens to achieve her 4th US Open quarter-final in a row, the place she is going to meet Zheng Qinwen, the seventh seed who fought previous Donna Vekic in a repeat of the Olympic Tennis Remaining in Paris.

I feel she [Donna Vekic] performs higher on laborious courtroom in comparison with clay. Her ball could be very flat. In case you are not used to it it’s totally tough to regulate. She was serving very properly. It was powerful to interrupt her to start with of the match. It was a aggressive match, and I am actually completely satisfied to carry the strain and get this match.” Zheng Qinwen

Sabalenka took down Mertens, the No 33 seed from Belgium, 6-2 6-4, in 97 minutes on Louis Armstrong Stadium, whereas Zheng, taking part in on Arthur Ashe Stadium, wanted 2 hours and 50 minutes to see off Vekic, the Twenty fourth seed from Croatia, 7-6(2) 4-6 6-2, in a report late end for a ladies’s match.

The early Monday morning end was 2 minutes later than the outdated report of two.13am from 2021, when Maria Sakkari beat Bianca Andreescu in a Final 16 contest.

Sabalenka, final yr’s US Open runner-up, posted semi-final ends in New York Metropolis in each 2021 and 2022, changing into the primary lady to make 4 consecutive US Open quarter-finals since Serena Williams made 6 in a row between 2011 and 2016.

“The crowds are wonderful,” Sabalenka stated, reflecting on her run of success in Flushing Meadows. “I actually get pleasure from taking part in on these huge stadiums, really feel all of the assist. I simply don’t wish to go away early right here, you understand. I simply wish to keep so long as I can, and revel in this stunning courtroom, stunning ambiance.”

Sabalenka and Mertens are mates, having been a formidable doubles group previously, successful 2 Grand Slam titles collectively, on the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open.

“I do know her fairly properly, and we’ve performed numerous nice battles towards one another,” Sabalenka stated of the Belgian. “It’s by no means straightforward going through her. She’s a extremely difficult opponent. You understand she’s going to struggle. I used to be simply attempting to remain aggressive, and put her below strain tonight. That match wasn’t a simple one.”

© Matthew Stockman/Getty Photographs

On this event, although, the Belarusian slammed 41 winners to energy her manner Mertens, having rapidly set the tempo after breaking the Belgian within the first sport of the opening set.

Sabalenka dominated, coming into web 11 occasions and successful 10 of these factors, 91%, whereas she produced 18 winners to Mertens’ 5 within the opener.

Initially, the Belgian was not capable of deal with the facility and tempo of Sabalenka’s aggressive baseline sport, and couldn’t get herself again on serve.

Main 4-2, Sabalenka confidently broke once more to like, growing her result in 5-2, however needed to save 2 break factors within the eighth sport earlier than serving out the set, which took 34 minutes, pounding 18 winners within the opener.

The second proved to be extra aggressive as Mertens started to place extra balls in play and maintain serve, however, at 2-2, Sabalenka broke for a third time, blasting a down-the line-forehand winner on break level.

Later within the set, crucially, Sabalenka fought again from 0-40 and received 5 straight factors to carry serve for a 5-3 lead.

Though, Mertens held within the subsequent sport to remain within the match, the Belarusian served out the match within the tenth sport to e book her quarter-final spot.

“I’m actually glad that I used to be capable of keep centered. [Mertens] performed unbelievable tennis, particularly within the second set. It was actually tight,” Sabalenka stated after her straight-sets win. “Each sport was backwards and forwards. It might have gone a technique or one other. I’m actually proud of this win. It was a high-quality match.”

Sabalenka, who didn’t drop serve, saved all 8 break factors she confronted towards Mertens, and now holds an 8-2 profession head-to-head report towards the Belgian.

Taking part in in her seventh profession US Open, Sabalenka improves her report at Flushing Meadows to 25-6, whereas her newest win marks her twenty seventh hard-court match-win this yr.

Solely Emma Navarro, with 29, and Iga Swiatek, with 28, have received extra tour-level hard-court matches in 2024.

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen received a really tight contest with Silver medallist Donna Vekic within the early hours of Monday morning in New York

© Jamie Squire/Getty Photographs

Within the quarter-finals, Sabalenka now takes on the winner of the Paris Olympics ultimate rematch, No 7 seed Zheng Qinwen of China, who took down Twenty fourth-seeded Donna Vekic of Croatia in 3 units within the early hours of Monday morning.

“I wish to play within the evening session. Right here in New York it’s my first time,” stated Zheng in entrance of some hundred hardy followers on Ashe.

It’s 21-year outdated Zheng’s 2nd quarter-final look right here at Flushing Meadows, solely the second Chinese language lady to look in two quarter-finals in New York after Li Na in 2009 and 2013.

On the laborious courts of the US Open, it was a a lot tighter contest than on the clay of Paris, with Zheng executing a punishing baseline sport, making this spherical of 16 contest a really bodily one.

“I feel she performs higher on laborious courtroom in comparison with clay. Her ball could be very flat,” Zheng stated after the match. “In case you are not used to it it’s very tough to regulate. She was serving very properly. It was powerful to interrupt her to start with of the match.

“It was a aggressive match, and I’m actually completely satisfied to carry the strain and get this match.”

After they met within the Gold medal match in Paris, Zheng rolled to a 6-2 6-3 win over Vekic, the Croatian discovering no solutions on the clay, the place the Chinese language has received 3 of her 4 titles, but it surely was a distinct story on the laborious courts at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and for individuals who stayed late, it actually was one to recollect.

“She’s actually powerful to play on a tough courtroom,” Zheng stated of her opponent post-match. “As we speak she put numerous strain [on me], she hit actually aggressive, so congratulations to her on her end result. But it surely was a very nice victory for me. Due to all of the followers who are usually not sleeping right here in New York.”

Donna Vekic pushed Zheng Qinwen laborious however misplaced in 3 units in a repeat of the Olympic ultimate on Sunday

© Jamie Squire/Getty Photographs

The distinction between them was tiny within the first set, as neither misplaced serve throughout the complete body, and so they mixed for a mere 13 unforced errors by the primary 12 video games.

Then Vekic started lacking within the tight moments in the course of the tiebreak, and Zheng ran away with the set to shut it by a 7-2 margin.

Regardless of an early commerce of breaks within the second, the remainder of the set performed out with neither lady budging on serve, till Zheng discovered herself gazing a backhand winner from Vekic on set level to provide the Croatian the break, and ship the match into a 3rd set.

A gap break for the Chinese language put her within the driver’s seat rapidly initially of the decider, and, as Vekic’s sport started to crack, a second break of serve to like gave the World No 7 a 5-2 lead.

Serving for the match on her 2nd match level, Zheng clinched the win on a netted return by Vekic.

By means of 4 wins in New York, Zheng is averaging greater than 10 aces per match, and has fired a complete 48 aces, greater than double of anybody remaining within the subject.

Her first serve has been significantly devastating, successful 80% of the factors when it lands in, whereas she has been damaged simply 8 occasions.

“I really feel actually happy with myself as a result of it’s not straightforward altering surfaces from clay to laborious,” Zheng stated. “And particularly as a result of I went again to China, so I didn’t have the identical apply as different gamers. So mainly I”m simply attempting to carry myself, and attempt to get the match, even when I’m not feeling at my greatest. However I begin to really feel higher and higher.”

Zheng has a troublesome activity in going through a assured and in-form Sabalenka subsequent, and the World No 2 has overwhelmed her of their two prior conferences, together with right here, on the identical stage final yr.