Aryna Sabalenka has secured her place in the U.S. Open final for the second consecutive year, winning against Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2) on Thursday night. The No. 2 seed from Belarus showcased her signature aggressive playing style, finishing the match by winning the final seven points.
Sabalenka, 26, previously reached the finals at Flushing Meadows but fell short against Coco Gauff in front of an enthusiastic crowd last year. This time, she managed to overcome Navarro, the 13th seed, controlling the match until the tense moments of the second set. Sabalenka had humorously suggested that she might win over the crowd by offering them drinks, saying, “Drinks on me tonight?”
In the second set, Navarro did not give up easily. After being behind for most of the set, she broke Sabalenka’s serve while she was attempting to close out the match at 5-4. However, in the subsequent tiebreaker, Sabalenka turned the tables after Navarro jumped to a 2-0 lead, winning every point thereafter.
Sabalenka is set to compete for the title on Saturday against either No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula or unseeded Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic. The semifinal match between Pegula and Muchova was scheduled to take place later Thursday evening at Arthur Ashe Stadium under a cool breeze. This marks Muchova’s fourth appearance in a Grand Slam semifinal, following her run to the finals of the French Open last year, while Pegula recently broke her quarterfinal curse by defeating top-seeded Iga Swiatek in straight sets.