Aryna Sabalenka smoothly advanced to her fourth straight US Open semifinal, while Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe arranged a thrilling all-American clash in the penultimate round, much to the enjoyment of the spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.
The second-seeded Sabalenka took just an hour and 13 minutes to overpower China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-2, setting the stage for a match against American Emma Navarro. She playfully promised the audience free drinks for their support during that game. The Belarusian has only lost four service games throughout the tournament, solidifying her status as the top contender to win another major title, following her victories at the Australian Open.
"If you reach the top-five level, everyone sees you as the favorite," Sabalenka remarked. "But as I always say, it's not about being the favorite, it's about how hard you're willing to fight for it. It's about enduring the tough moments in the matches when you're not at your best and pushing through." She added, "I'm really pleased they see me as the favorite, and I'll do my utmost to hold this beautiful trophy."
Fritz, seeded 12th, thwarted Alexander Zverev's attempt at a maiden major title with a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) win, just two months after defeating the German in the Wimbledon fourth round. "I've been close to the quarterfinals many times in the past few years, and today felt different," Fritz commented. "I truly felt it was my time to move forward."
Tiafoe, seeded 20th, reached the semifinals again after Grigor Dimitrov retired due to a leg injury while trailing 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1. "It's not the way I wanted to advance, but I'm glad to be through. Another semifinal here. It's incredible," Tiafoe said.
Both Tiafoe and Fritz aim to break the 21-year drought for an American men's champion at a Grand Slam, following Andy Roddick's victory in New York in 2003. This will mark the first all-American men's major semifinal since Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri at the 2005 U.S. Open.
In the day's opening match, 13th seed Navarro continued her rapid ascent in the tennis world with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Spain's Paula Badosa. Navarro, one of two remaining American women in the tournament, secured an early break to lead 3-0 in the first set and then defended two break points to win it decisively. She stunned Badosa by winning 24 of the last 28 points to seal the victory in 72 minutes.
"Things weren't looking great in the second set, but I tried to stay tough and stick it out," Navarro explained. "I felt that if I could win a few longer points, maybe put some pressure on her, I could come back and possibly win in two sets. I'm happy with how I managed that." Navarro's fellow American, Jessica Pegula, will face top seed Iga Swiatek in their quarterfinal on Wednesday.
