In the exciting semifinal of the US Open, Aryna Sabalenka showed great nerves of steel and defeated the American Emma Navarro 6:3, 7:6 (2). The pressure from the home crowd and the close moments of the match made Sabalenka think of last year, when she lost to Coco Gauff in the final. “Last year was a very tough experience, a hard lesson,” Sabalenka said. “I told myself: ‘No, Aryna, this will not happen again. You have to control your emotions.'”
This determination was especially evident when the crowd loudly supported Navarro. However, Sabalenka managed to focus on her own fans and her team, which was crucial to her victory. “I said to myself: ‘Come on. So many people are supporting you. Focus on yourself and fight for it,'” she said.
Sabalenka’s perseverance and strategy
Sabalenka, seeded No. 2, entered the semifinals with a lot of confidence and her risky style of play paid off again. She hit 34 winners but also made 34 unforced errors. Navarro, seeded No. 13, fought bravely but could not match Sabalenka’s power. Despite trailing in the second set, Navarro managed to break Sabalenka’s serve at 5-4 and raise hopes of a third set.
“I wasn’t ready for the match to be over,” Navarro said after the match. But Sabalenka quickly regained control in the tiebreak and won the last seven points to win the match. “I fought back at the end of the second set,” Navarro explained. “I thought I could make it to the third set, but it wasn’t enough.”
A promising finale
With this victory, Sabalenka is in the final against the next American, Jessica Pegula. She has now reached the final of a hard court major for the fourth time in a row, a feat last achieved by her compatriot Victoria Azarenka. Sabalenka’s path to the final is proof of her growth as a player. On Saturday she wants to win her first US Open title and with this performance could finally catapult herself to the top of the tennis world.
