US Open: Aryna Sabalenka beats Emma Navarro to reach her second consecutive final in New York

AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — When things suddenly got quite tight in the second set of Aryna Sabalenka’s U.S. Open semifinal, and the Arthur Ashe Stadium spectators suddenly got quite loud while pulling for her American opponent, the 2023 runner-up found herself flashing back to a year ago at the same site.

“Last year, it was a very tough experience. Very tough lesson. Today in the match, I was, like, ‘No, no, no, Aryna. It’s not going to happen again. You have to control your emotions. You have to focus on yourself,’” Sabalenka said. “There was people supporting for me; I was trying to focus on them. I’m thinking, ‘Come on. There’s so many people supporting you. There is your team in the box. There is your family. Just focus on yourself and try to — not try, just fight for it.’”

The No. 2-seeded Sabalenka moved into her second consecutive final at Flushing Meadows with a strong start and a late surge, taking the last seven points to beat Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2) on Thursday night with her usual brand of high-risk, high-reward tennis.

Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus who won each of the past two Australian Opens, ended up a victory short of claiming the championship in New York a year ago, when she lost to Coco Gauff in front of a rowdy partisan crowd.

This time, against another American, the 13th-seeded Navarro, Sabalenka didn’t let the fans play much of a role until things got interesting down the stretch. Sabalenka joked after her previous match she would try to sway them to her side by buying booze, saying, “ Drinks on me tonight? ”

Navarro did not fold in the second set, despite trailing for much of it, and as the noise around her grew, she broke when Sabalenka attempted to serve for the victory at 5-4.

“I wasn’t ready for the match to be over,” Navarro said.

But in the tiebreaker that followed, Sabalenka took over after Navarro led 2-0, grabbing every point that remained.

“I kind of got my teeth into it there at the end of the second set,” Navarro said, “and I felt I could definitely push it to a third. Wasn’t able to do so.”

Sabalenka will play for the trophy on Saturday against yet another American, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, or unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. The Pegula-Muchova semifinal began later Thursday under the Ashe lights on a cool evening with only the slightest breeze.

For Muchova, it was her fourth appearance in the final four at a Grand Slam tournament, including runs to that stage in New York and to the final of the French Open last year. Pegula had been 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals until eliminating No. 1 Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion, in straight sets Wednesday night.

“I’m ready to face whoever,” Sabalenka said.

Navarro, who defeated Gauff in the fourth round, is a 23-year-old who was born in New York, grew up in South Carolina and won an NCAA singles title for the University of Virginia in 2021. This was her debut in a Slam semifinal and, while she displayed the skills and steadiness that carried her there, Navarro was not able to keep up with Sabalenka, who was in that round at a major for the ninth time.

If Sabalenka is as demonstrative as can be, often holding a fist aloft and screaming after a big point or rolling her eyes after a miss, Navarro is far more subdued, rarely, if ever, betraying a hint of emotion, whether positive or negative.

Even when she broke to 5-all, there wasn’t a way to tell what happened by looking at Navarro. The sounds from the seats were an indication. But soon, thousands of ticket-holders were saluting Sabalenka for her latest show of mastery on a hard court; she’s now into her fourth straight final at a major held on that surface.

“Well, guys, now you are cheering for me,” Sabalenka with a laugh. “Well, it’s a bit too late.”

She produced 34 winners and 34 unforced errors — punctuating most of her groundstrokes with a yell — and, in a fitting bit of symmetry, Navarro had 13 winners and 13 unforced errors.

Sabalenka showed she is not simply a swing-from-the-heels power player, even if that is the foundation of her game.

She delivered one optimally timed return winner to help break for a 4-2 lead early. She offered up two terrifically delicate drop shots to earn points later in that set. When Navarro failed to get a return in play off a 100 mph serve, Sabalenka was halfway to the win.

“That’s really important — to have all the skills, all the variation in your game,” Sabalenka said, “and especially on those crucial moments when opponents are used to one (type of) tennis from me.”

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