Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the US Open semi-finals with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng, demonstrating exceptional serving and baseline control throughout the match. The match concluded in just 73 minutes, showcasing Sabalenka's overwhelming performance, hitting almost twice as many winners as her opponent and forcing a significant number of errors from Zheng. With this win, Sabalenka sets a high expectation ahead of her semi-final clash with Emma Navarro.
In reflecting on her match, Sabalenka emphasized the importance of breaking Zheng's serve early, stating, "Securing a break in her opening service game was crucial for me to settle into the match. Starting strong really helps calm the nerves and set the pace for the game." This strategic approach enabled her to dominate from the get-go, contrasting sharply with Zheng's struggles on serve, which played a significant role in Sabalenka's decisive win.
Zheng's performance was marred by a lack of successful serves, achieving just 31% first serve accuracy and struggling on her second serve, winning a mere 36% of her points with it. In contrast, Sabalenka's serve was on point, landing 67% of her first serves and winning 71% of those points. This stark difference in serving statistics underscored the one-sided nature of the match and highlighted Sabalenka’s dominance on court.
Sabalenka's mastery on the baseline overshadowed Zheng's efforts, as the latter only managed to hit four winners during the entire 36-minute opening set. Sabalenka's ability to control the rally and dictate the pace allowed her to capitalize on Zheng’s errors, making the quarter-final feel more like a practice session than a competitive match.
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