Saturday afternoon figures to be a tense and grueling war to determine the 2023 US Open women's champion. The two remaining competitors have endured a suffocating heat wave, gritty and seasoned challengers and mounting pressure that comes with occupying a top spot in a global sport. Emotions can only be high when the stakes are that big.

That has not prevented impending world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka from bestowing some huge praise upon her opponent, American Coco Gauff, ahead of the Final. “Amazing player,” the 2023 Australian Open winner said, per Matthew Futterman of The New York Times. “I’ll be fighting for every point.”

It has been a milestone Grand Slam for both athletes, as they each put their name in the same category as one of the most dominant women's tennis players of all-time. Gauff is the first American teenager since Serena Williams to reach the US Open Final. Sabalenka is the first woman to advance to the quarterfinal of all four majors in the same year since, you guessed it, Serena Williams.

The comparisons are even more notable than they initially appear, as these are two candidates to carry the future of the sport. Prevailing in such an iconic and raucous atmosphere will reinforce the belief that they are up to the task.

Aryna Sabalenka will obviously be battling that aforementioned New York crowd, in addition to Coco Gauff. She put forth a gutsy comeback effort to knock off American Madison Keys Thursday night, but the energy is going to be even more for electric for the 19-year-old.

Whoever leaves Saturday as the champ, should be treated to a full-blown coronation. This could truly be a pivotal moment in the future of the women's game. Enjoy the pleasantries for now, because they will be harder to spot amid all of the on-court drama that is to come.