Soon-to-be No.1 Aryna Sabalenka is through to her third consecutive US Open semifinal with a 6-1 6-4 victory over first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Zheng Qinwen in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.
In the sixth game, world No. 23 Zheng finally etched her name onto the scoreboard. However, it was abundantly clear that there was no sign of a turnaround in sight as Sabalenka swiftly progressed through the first set. The second set went with serve until 3-3, at which point Sabalenka took charge and comfortably won the next two games. Zheng then managed to fend off a match point to hold her serve, but Sabalenka ultimately sealed the victory in her service game.
Sabalenka remains undefeated in major quarterfinals with record now standing at 7-0 and a US Open record of 3-0. Eleven out of her 13 career titles were won on hard courts.
In the semifinals, the Belarusian’s opponent will be American seed No.17 Madison Keys, who made relatively light work of reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, 6-1 6-4.
