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Aryna Sabalenka, last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, is heading into the semifinals with a lighthearted strategy to gain crowd support at Arthur Ashe Stadium. After her dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over No. 7 seed Qinwen Zheng on Tuesday, Sabalenka was asked during her post-match interview with ESPN’s Pam Shriver how she planned to sway the partisan New York crowd in her favor for her upcoming clash against American Emma Navarro.
Navarro defeated last year's U.S. Open champion, Coco Gauff, in the 16th round to move onto the quarterfinal match against Paula Badosa, which she also won.
Sabalenka had asked the crowd, “Drinks on me tonight?” and repeated the offer, saying, “Please give me some support in the next match.” The crowd responded with laughter, but Sabalenka’s playful attempt to gain favor could be seen as a strategic move, considering her history with the U.S. Open fans.
A year ago, Sabalenka faced Gauff in the final and was met with a crowd that heavily favored the American champion. Now, she faces another American in Navarro, and the Belarusian star is keen to avoid a similar situation.
Sabalenka’s win over Zheng was her fourth consecutive semifinal appearance at the U.S. Open. The match, a rematch of this year’s Australian Open final, saw Sabalenka overpower her opponent with a display of aggressive, powerful tennis. With tennis legend Roger Federer watching from the stands, Sabalenka quickly sealed the victory and will now prepare for a challenging showdown against Navarro, whom she defeated at Roland Garros but lost to earlier this year at Indian Wells.
Aryna Sabalenka could be first woman since 2016 to win both Australian Open, US Open in same year
The 26-year-old Sabalenka has been a dominant force in the 2023 season, winning 33 of 36 sets in major tournaments. She is aiming to become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both the Australian Open and U.S. Open in the same year.
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“She's a great player,” Sabalenka said of facing Navarro next. “I saw her matches here, she's playing incredible tennis and yeah it's going to be great battle and I'm really looking forward to face her again.”
Zheng, the gold medalist at the Paris Olympics in August, won just three games, her fewest in a Grand Slam match, while landing only 44% of her first serves.
“Today I felt a little bit tight,” Zheng said. “And the serve was not as what I expect.”
She also mentioned that her 2:15 a.m. finish in the fourth-round match against Donna Vekic — the latest ever for a U.S. Open women's match — impacted her ability to practice on Monday.
“Yesterday I was feeling terrible,” she said. “I couldn't wake up. Even though I wanted to (practice), I didn't (feel) I could do it.
“I couldn't complain … because sometimes the schedule is like this. … If I hit some balls yesterday, maybe that would help for (today's) match, but it's fine.”
