US Open 2023
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York
Dates: Aug 28-Sep 10
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka reached the U.S. Open semi-finals for the third successive year with a dominant win over Chinese 23rd seed Zheng Qinwen. Sabalenka, who learned earlier this week she will be the new world number one after the tournament, won 6-1 6-4. The 25-year-old from Belarus has never gone on to play in the New York final. Sabalenka will now face 2017 runner-up Madison Keys after the American beat Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-1 6-4.
"I think I definitely played great tennis today and I'm super happy to win, she has played great tennis at the U.S. Open," said Sabalenka, whose previous semi-final defeats came against Canada's Leylah Fernandez and Poland's Iga Swiatek.
"Now I have the opportunity to do better in the semis.
"I have learned [since the previous semi-finals] that I am ready to play these rallies and stay in the game and the point now. "I also focused on my physical abilities and am getting less tired on court. I am ready to play wherever I need to play now."
Sabalenka will face 17th seed Keys, who made relatively light work of Czech Vondrousova on a humid evening in New York. The American has consistently impressed over the past few months, making back-to-back Grand Slam quarter-finals before going a step further at her home major.
Keys started the stronger of the two, breaking ninth seed Vondrousova at the first opportunity and racing to a 5-0 lead before serving out the set. The second set was a closer affair but Keys played better in the big moments, saving all nine of the break points she faced and dominating with her huge forehand.
She will face a tough task against Sabalenka, who beat her at Wimbledon, but Keys said she would "buckle up and get as many balls back as I can".
"Just having played her at Wimbledon, she's obviously been amazing this year," Keys added.
"It's almost a completely different match and it's going to be a lot of hard hitting and not a lot of long points."
