Aryna Sabalenka edges Quinwen Zheng to sail through US Open Semis

US Open 

Tuesday, 3 September, 2024 

McCreadie Andias 

World Number 2 Aryna Sabalenka defeated 7th Seed Quinwen Zheng on double sets at the US Open Quaters in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night.

Sabalenka overpowered Zheng to grab the win along with a ticket to the semifinals by 6-1, 6-2.

The result was similar to the 2023 US Open where again Sabalenka beat the 21-year-old Chinese player in two economical sets, 6-1, 6-4.

Zheng was also Sabalenka's victim in the Melbourne final where Sabalenka won her second consecutive Australian Open title. 

Sabalenka came in as the fresher player, having dropped just one set thus far in Flushing, whereas Zheng survived three three-setters. And the 26-year-old former world No. 1 entered on a nine-match winning streak, having captured the title in Cincinnati immediately prior to the US Open.

Sabalenka found her footing first, breaking Zheng in her first service game. That the Chinese player’s service game would be a factor was supposed to have been a given, she had already racked up 49 aces this tournament. 

Zheng served poorly in the first set and was both over-hitting and under-hitting the ball. Groundstrokes sailed, drop shots died in the net and Zheng looked both flustered and frustrated. At 35 minutes, Sabalenka took the first set, 6-1.

Serving down a break at 2-0 in the second set, Zheng managed to snap Sabalenka’s five-game winning streak. 

But when the match turned an hour old, Zheng had hit only eight winners to 18 errors and had slid to a 1-4 deficit. On the other side of the net, Sabalenka was cruising—and never gave up another game. At 71 minutes, she took the second set, 6-2, and the match.

Sabalenka will face Emma Navarro at the Semi Finals as the American star, beat Spanish Paula Badosa earlier in the day, 6-2, 7-5.