Sabalenka beats Navarro to advance into US Open final

New York — When Aryna Sabalenka found herself facing off against American qualifier Alison Riske for her US Open semifinal, and Arthur Ashe Stadium spectators started cheering loudly for their opponent, it brought back memories from when things became tight in her 2023 semi-final against an equally unassuming American player a year before at this same venue. “My mind kept wandering a lot,” Sabalenka explained, as thousands of ticket-holders applauded Sabalenka’s recent display of athleticism on hard court surfaces. Sabalenka acknowledged her supporters after their match had concluded and replied with humor and disarming charm: “Well, guys now you are cheering for me – but it may be too late. ” Sabalenka made light of knowing she would face off against an American opponent by offering drinks as part of her strategy: she joked after her previous match: ‘Want me to buy you drinks tonight?” “Navarro showed resilience throughout the second set, even while trailing much of it and eventually breaking when Sabalenka served for victory at 5-4.” Sabalenka had to come from behind in the tiebreaker that followed; when Navarro led 2-0, Sabalenka capitalized and quickly won every point left for herself to claim victory and retain her trophy on Saturday against one of her American competitors: No. 6 Jessica Pegula or unseeded Karolina Muchova from Czech Republic. Pegula-Muchova semifinal got underway later Thursday under Ashe’s lights in an unusually pleasant evening with only minimal breeze. Sabalenka stated, “I am ready for any opponent that comes my way and look forward to improving on what was achieved last year.” She hopes she has done better compared with 2016. Sabalenka hopes to become only the fifth different woman since 1988 when the Australian Open moved from hardcourt to grass events to win both events simultaneously.” Navarro defeated Gauff in round four. Born and raised in New York but raised mostly in South Carolina he won an NCAA singles championship at University of Virginia 2021.” Navarro made her Slam semifinal debut here and, although she displayed all of the skills and steadiness necessary to advance to such an important matchup, Sabalenka proved too powerful and fast for Navarro to keep pace. From 2-all in the opening set, Sabalenka quickly reeled off three wins without reply to take control – repeatedly hitting shots out of reach from Navarro with shots that often elicited shouts from Sabalenka during play. By the end of their contest, Sabalenka produced 34 winners to 34 unforced errors — while in an ironic display of balance Navarro had 13 winners to 13 unforced errors. On Saturday Aryna Sabalenka will attempt to become only fifth woman since 1988 – when Australian Open turned hardcourt event. to simultaneously capture both events. Frank Franklin II/APSabalenka proved her versatility by producing one perfectly timed return winner to help break for an early 4-2 lead in their match against Venus Williams. Sabalenka used two amazing drop shots to score points later in that set and when Navarro failed to return a 100 mph serve she was well on her way toward winning it all. A break put Sabalenka ahead by two games at 3-1 in set 2, but Navarro rallied back. Sabalenka came close, winning 35 out of 38 sets she played this year (92.1%) despite all she accomplished during this matchup. Justine Henin was the last women who won 90% or more sets at majors since 2000; Sabalenka will become only second player since 2000 to reach four consecutive hardcourt major finals; Victoria Azarenka of Belarusian descent has reached this feat as well. ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed significantly towards this report.