Aryna Sabalenka played her usual high-risk, high-reward tennis to beat Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2) to reach her second consecutive U.S. Open women's singles final.
The second seed missed out on the title last year when she lost to Coco Gauff in front of a rapturous crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but she wasn't about to take comfort from another American opponent in this semi-final.
As things got tense in the second set and the crowd suddenly began yelling in support of Navarro, the 2023 runner-up was reminded of a time from a year ago in the same venue.
“I said, 'OK, Alina, you've got to stay focused. Focus on your thoughts. Focus on yourself,'” Sabalenka said. “And, yeah, I was thinking a lot.”
Sabalenka started strong and finished strong to reach her second consecutive final at Flushing Meadows, but Navarro held on even when she found herself in a tight spot in the second set, trailing for much of the match and then, amid growing noise from the crowd, breaking as Sabalenka served for a 5-4 win.
“I just wasn't ready for the game to end,” Navarro said.
But in the ensuing tiebreak, after Navarro had led 2-0, Sabalenka took control, winning every remaining point.
“I kind of came out strong at the end of the second set,” Navarro said. “I felt like I could definitely take it to the third set, but we just didn't do it.”
It cannot be denied.
Aryna Sabalenka gets a second chance at the US Open title this Saturday! pic.twitter.com/xNqOzvcMKS
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2024
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Sabalenka will face either sixth seed Jessica Pegula or unseeded Karolina Muchova on Saturday for the championship.
“I'm ready for whoever I play,” Sabalenka said. “I learned from last year and I'm really hoping I can do a little bit better than I did last year.”
Navarro showed the skill and consistency she needed to beat Gauff in the fourth round en route to her first Grand Slam semifinal. Even when the 23-year-old broke for 5-all late, it was hard to tell what was going on. The sounds coming from the stands were a hint.
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But soon, thousands of ticket holders were cheering Sabalenka for her latest display of hard-court prowess, reaching her fourth consecutive final at a major tournament played on that surface.
“Well, you guys are cheering for me now,” Sabalenka said with a laugh during an on-court interview. “Well, it's a little late.”
By the end of the match, Sabalenka had hit 34 winners and 34 unforced errors, yelling most of her groundstrokes, while Navarro had 13 winners and 13 unforced errors.
Sabalenka showed she's more than just a power player swinging from her heels, although that's the basis of her game: She broke early for a 4-2 lead with one perfectly timed return winner, then hit two delicate drop shots to win a point later in the set.
Sabalenka was halfway to victory when Navarro couldn't return a 100 mph serve, broke to take a 3-2 lead and appeared to have the upper hand in the second set, but Navarro fought back. In the end, it wasn't enough.
