Honeydeuces might be playing in Queens tonight.
Aryna Sabalenka was feeling good after her straight-set win over Qingwen Chen in the US Open quarterfinals and was asked after the match about her semifinal battle against up-and-comer Emma Navarro.
There may not be many people rooting for her in Flushing when she plays on American soil against an American player, so ESPN asked the 26-year-old Sabalenka how she plans to win over the few swing supporters on court.
“Am I buying you a drink tonight?” she said with a laugh at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
When asked if that meant buying drinks for everyone, Sabalenka replied: “Okay, guys, I'll buy you drinks. Please support me in my next match.”
Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, is targeting her first U.S. Open singles title after losing to Coco Gauff in last year's final.
But there will be no rematch this year, as Navarro knocked out the 2023 winner in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Asked what her strategy would be to beat Navarro on Thursday, Sabalenka was nearly speechless.
“Wow, what a question. I think I'm trying to put pressure on her and not let her do what she wants to do,” she said in her post-match press conference. “Yeah, I have to think about it tomorrow and I have to talk to my coach tomorrow and I'll ask him a question.”
If Sabalenka wins this year's US Open, it will be her second Grand Slam title at the tournament, having won the doubles title in 2019.
