Aryna Sabalenka continued her push for a third Grand Slam title by beating American hope Jessica Pegula in the US Open final.
Sabalenka, who finished second behind Coco Gauff last year, will be looking to go one better this year after beating Emma Navarro 6-3 7-6 (7-2) to reach her fourth Grand Slam final.
Pegula finally made her big breakthrough on Saturday, coming from behind to beat Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova 1-6 6-4 6-2 in front of a patriotic crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to book her place in the final.
World number two Sabalenka hit 34 winners and eight aces against American Navarro, defeating the first-time Grand Slam semifinalist and forcing a tiebreak from a 5-3 deficit in the second set.
“It meant so much, it was an incredible atmosphere,” said the 26-year-old Sabalenka, who became the first woman to reach back-to-back U.S. Open finals since Serena Williams in 2018 and 2019.
“She's a really good player and a really tough opponent. I'm really happy to have made it through this tough semi-final.
“I had to focus only on myself.
“I'm ready to face anyone. This is a lesson from last year and I hope to do better than last year.”
Sabalenka tried to dominate her opponent with powerful baseline strikes in the second game, but Navarro managed to counter at 2-2.
But the Belarusian, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, hit the gas and won the next four games to take the first set.
But a 5-4 lead was interrupted by a shaky Sabalenka, giving Navarro hope of advancing to a tiebreak.
But Sabalenka regained her level and composure to take a deserved win and is just one win away from becoming the first woman to win both hard-court Grand Slam titles in the same year since Angelique Kerber in 2016.
Navarro's father, Ben, owns a major credit card company, and her winnings were a landmark Grand Slam for Navarro, putting her in the world's top 10 when the new rankings were updated.
Pegula again seeks first Grand Slam final
Sixth-seeded Pegula powered her way to a three-set win over last year's French Open runner-up, Muchova, ensuring at least one American reached the women's singles final.
Pegula, who is defending her Canadian Open title, has also been in impressive form in New York, but this time she will face Sabalenka in a rematch of the Cincinnati final, where she lost in straight sets.
The 30-year-old from New York reached her first major semi-final after defeating world number one Iga Sviatek to snap a 0-6 drought in Grand Slam quarter-finals, and although she was down 6-1 2-0, she staged an emotional comeback to win 15 of her last 16 matches.
“It's the little moments that change the momentum. I was really down, but she played unbelievably. She made me look like a beginner,” Pegula said.
“I wanted to burst into tears, I was embarrassed. She was destroying me, and I found a way, I got my adrenaline, I found my legs, and then I started playing the way I wanted to.
“It took some time, but I don't know how it changed things.”
While Pegula performed well, Muchova, competing in just her sixth event nine months after undergoing wrist surgery, also suffered.
Muchova looked set to end the tournament with a crucial point in mind when she was down 0-2 in the second set, missing a routine volley on break point to go ahead 3-0.
The match dragged on, with Pegula winning 12 of the next 16. Muchova, who had to leave the court four times in Wednesday's quarterfinals because of a stomach ailment, was exhausted.
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Highlights from Sabalenka and Pegula's final at the Cincinnati Open
British Flyers in Junior Tournament
Mika Stojsavljevic to face 16-year-old tennis star Iva Jovic in US Open women's semifinals
Rising British Star Mika Stojsavljevic She is not afraid to face American third seed Iva Jovic in the women's semifinals of the US Open.
Stojsavljevic was one of three British junior winners in New York on Thursday. Minge Shi She joined him in the last four of the women's tournament. Charlie Robertson He was promoted in the boys' category.
Jovic made headlines in the first week of the tournament by reaching the second round of the main draw, defeating 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova to advance to the third round against Aryna Sabalenka by a few points.
At 16, she is considered a strong contender for the match against Stojsavljevic. “I played her before I lost, but that was a year ago,” Stojsavljevic said.
“I don't think it's scary at all. I think it's an exciting challenge and I'm really looking forward to it. I've seen her play a little bit. I know how she plays. So it's going to be an exciting match.”
What matches will be on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
- Jasmine Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (September 9-15)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (September 9-15)
- Korea Open – WTA 500 (September 16-22 – Emma Raducanu in action)
- Thailand Open – WTA 250 (September 16-22)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and is integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers more than 50% more live sport to watch at no extra cost this year. Find out more here.
