Sabalenka makes her second straight US Open final since 2016

On Thursday night, Aryna Sabalenka produced an outstanding display to defeat Emma Navarro and secure her place in the US Open final for a second consecutive year. Their support echoed across court – but how could it aid her winning battles in future matches? Only when I let them get inside my mind could the match escalate and turn chaotic; therefore I am glad that this lesson has been learned, that my emotions could be controlled, and this match ended within two sets. Aryna Sabalenka ended American 13th seed Carla Navarro’s run at Arthur Ashe Stadium with an outstanding victory, defeating her 6-3 7-6(2) victory after 90 minutes of fighting back from being down 3-5 in both sets and forcing a tiebreak from there to emerge victorious 6-3 7-6(2). Sabalenka finished as Coco Gauff’s runner-up last year before sending it into another tiebreak from 5-3 down in both. Sabalenka made significant efforts in her match to work on her mindset and she made significant strides forward during crucial moments with regards to calmness and remaining under control, even if things weren’t going her way. “Even when things weren’t working well for me I still kept doing right things and was in charge. I am immensely proud that I’ve managed to reach this point where my emotions are under my control. Emma Navarro came into Thursday night’s semi-final against Aryna Sabalenka as an underdog but will climb all the way up to No 8 on Monday (c) Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesIn Thursday’s semi-final, American Emma Navarro was an obvious underdog but proved her mettle by withstanding Sabalenka’s relentless assault of big serves and heavy groundstrokes by Sabalenka, two time major winner and last year US Open finalist, though not easily.Despite her tall opponent and intimidatory 6ft 9inch height Sabalenka launched on Navarro didn’t break. Instead she showed no fear despite all attempts from Sabalenka while not even when threatened Navarro showed no mercy; rather Navarro kept fighting her way back into match play despite Sabalenka being intimidating but managed not be intimidated and came through successfully to meet Sabalenka on her terms without falling apart, as Sabalenka tried her hardest against an unlikely rival from Russia – yet another 6footer intimidating opponent; nevertheless Navarro proved undetersed and showed no fear before fighting through until finally victory was secured over Sabalenka while remaining calm under pressure to remain her match up until she became No 8 player this time out! “I wasn’t ready for it to end at 5-3,” admitted Navarro later, reflecting upon their match which ended 5-3. They wanted more out of life on court – the crowd got into it as I kept playing! Walking out tonight felt different to any previous time they’d played.” “There was definitely an incredible energy out there tonight compared to when they last saw me out there!” Navarro concluded his comments by noting a sense of calm on both sides during play – perhaps due to some change between each round “Part of it was being in the semi-finals. Part was having my first night match ever on Ashe. Part was also facing off against an opponent that I did play today.” “Perhaps my response wasn’t exactly how I wanted during this match, but that doesn’t change anything – this experience will definitely come up again in future games and will only get easier with practice! “Ultimately I believe handling difficult emotions better over time – something which only gets stronger as time progresses. “Sabalenka admitted during the final minutes of her second set tiebreak against Navarro that during this matchup she experienced flashbacks to their 2023 final defeat by Gauff – another American and their cheering crowd who supported their opponent – which took place just days earlier. “The noise was loud enough that my ears hurt!” She was better prepared this time around; keeping her composure through each moment. People cheering her on were admirable but had difficulty in helping her win her match, leaving many spectators scratching their heads wondering how they could help win it for her. “Only when they get inside my mind will I lose myself or become disordered can they control me and cause chaos,” she later reflected to media members. She is relieved to have learned her lesson of self-regulation: she managed to win this match in two sets without falling prey to emotional fluctuations from within herself and managed to control emotions effectively while finishing in two. “During her on court interview, an excited Sabalenka teased the crowd for their late support: ‘Oh now you guys cheer for me!” Dobel Tequila had also promised free drinks: margaritas for everyone from Dobel! Ashe laughs. Emma Navarro nearly managed to mount another comeback against Aryna Sabalenka during the second set, only for Aryna to prevail again, finally sending Emma out with an early second-set loss (c) Kena Bentancur/AFP via Getty ImagesSabalenka will face 6th-seeded Jessica Pegula of American, whom she leads 5-1 head-to-head while defeating in Cincinnati for only person since North American hard court swing began – she upset World No 1 Swiatek before Pegula made progress 1-6 6-4 6-2 win against unseeded Karolina Muchova from Czech Republic later that same day to reach final matchup later on Day 1. Sabalenka stated she wasn’t concerned who her opponent would be; rather she hopes for improvement from last season’s performances. “My goal this year is simple – hopefully, my performance improves even slightly!” “Sabalenka, who has lost only one set in reaching Saturday’s finals, hopes to clinch her second consecutive tournament victory after taking out Cincinnati Open before arriving here and is confident she has what it takes to capture a third major singles title – she made no secret of that desire when speaking of holding onto “that beautiful trophy,” as the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd supported Emma Navarro against Aryna Sabalenka during Thursday night’s semi-final (Photo credit Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images). (c Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images