Aryna Sabalenka is having fun in Flushing Meadows — lots of fun. The Belarusian tennis star added to his list of victims in the 2023 US Open when she got the best of Daria Kasatkina of Russia in the fourth round Monday night, 6-1, 6-3. Now that she has secured her spot in the quarterfinals, Sabalenka just duplicated a tennis feat that had not been previously seen this decade, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
“With Iga Swiatek's loss yesterday, Aryna Sabalenka clinched her first-ever ascent to No. 1 in the WTA World Rankings. Today, she became the first woman to reach the quarterfinals of all four slams in a calendar year since Serena Williams in 2016.”
The year 2023 is turning out to be the most memorable and successful one for Sabalenka. She started the Grand Slam season with a victory in the 2023 Australian Open, where she defeated Elena Rybakina in the finals. Months later, she made a deep run in the French Open. She made it to the semifinals of that tournament but fell short of a final appearance after a loss to Karolina Muchova. Sabalenka also reached the semis in Wimbledon but suffered a defeat at the hands of Ons Jabeur.
Sabalenka is hoping to finish her 2023 Grand Slam experience the way she started it — with a title.
Waiting for the 25-year-old Sabalenka in the quarterfinals is Zheng Qinwen of China, who beat Jabeur in the fourth round. If Sabalenka gets past Qinwen, she will be facing the winner of the other semis matchup between Marketa Vondrousova and Madison Keys in the finals.