Aryna Sabalenka reached a decisive US Open semi-final for the fourth time and Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will meet in a semi-final duel at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.
Second seed Sabalenka dominated China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in straight sets 6-1 6-2 and it took her just one hour and thirteen minutes to dispatch her rival and clinch a place in the semi-finals. Next up for her will be American Emma Navarro. In lighter spirits, Sabalenka was heard telling her fans she would take them for free drinks in return for their support.
Serbia’s Halep has a very credible chance of claiming a third French Open crown, while Belarus’s Sabalenka, who has dropped her serve only four times in the tournament, could well be another major winner, having already won two Australian Opens. Speaking about her position as a favorite contestant she said, “Once you get up there and become a favorite everybody will pretend you are their favorite but being a favorite for me is not about how much support from the people you get but how eager you are, how willing you are to scrap it out when the going gets tough or when the odds are against you. ”
In other action in Melbourne, 12th seed Taylor Fritz claimed a heart-stopping win over world number four Alexander Zverev 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3). This triumph happened two months after a similar win the German tennis player achieved over Zverev in the fourth round of Wimbledon. Fritz was confident and he said, “Today was special, I really thought it was my time to shift it to the next level. ”
Fritz was pushing through a tight first set in a tiebreak while Zverev shocked the crowd on his way back into the game on the second set. But thankfully for Fritz, the teenager was able to regain his composure to reach his first major semi-final.
Frances Tiafoe who reached the final four in 2022 proceeded to the final four after Grigor Dimitrov retired due to a leg injury in the third set trailing 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1. Tiafoe said, “It may not be the way that I wished to proceed through to the next round, but just happy to be through another semi-final.
High-stakes match between Tiafoe and Fritz in tomorrow’s Sports Today for a prize that will see an American men’s Grand Slam champion being crowned after 21 years with the last being Andy Roddick in 2003. The next men’s major semi-final will be the first all-American clash since the 2005 US Open where Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri.
In the previous match of the evening, the 13th seed Emma Navarro also described herself as a true contender for winning as she defeated Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5. The last two American women still in the tournament, Navarro got an early break and kept discouraging Badosa from trying to come back. Navarro recalled her game saying: “In the second set things did not seem too good, but I decided to be more ‘tough’ and fight more for longer rallies I am glad I was able to come through in two sets. ”
Navarro will be up against the number one seed Iga Swiatek in her quarter-final match on Wednesday and fellow countrywoman Jessica Pegula will also be playing in the quarter-final.
