2023-09-08 05:49:00
Aryna Sabalenka has been very hot, but the future world number one will be well on her way to the final of the US Open 2023. After two consecutive defeats in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament, the Belarusian has overcome her demons to get the better of Madison Keys in a Hitchcockian scenario at the end of the New York night (0-6, 7-6, 7-6).
After a 2h32 battle, the Australian Open defending champion joined Coco Gauff in the women’s singles final at Flushing Meadows and prevented an all-American final in the land of Uncle Sam. on Saturday, the US will welcome a new champion to its list.
At 7-3, she believes she has already won: Sabalenka has forgotten the super tie-break rule!
In the country of Hollywood cinema, it was impossible to write the script for this second semi-final among the ladies in advance. On paper, Madison Keys’ chances of winning their showdown against the tournament’s number two seed were slim. But the theory, the finalist of the 2017 edition in Flushing threw it in the trash to make way for the reality of the hard ground. On the center court, the American landed without any complex to challenge her rival in her favorite register: power. Eager to support each stroke of the racquet and shorten the exchanges as much as possible, the Illinois tenniswoman won her bet to confuse Sabalenka from the start of the meeting.
At 6-0, 5-4 service to follow, Keys couldn’t find the key
Stubborn, the world number two did not change her plan of attack in the first round. Result of the races: Keys walked on water (12 winning strokes), while his opponent brooded over each unforced error (13 on the first run). In half an hour, the American gave Sabalenka a nightmare by hitting her with a bubble in front of an Arthur-Ashe court conquered by her protege (6-0). On the verge of implosion, the Belarusian went to refresh her ideas between sets to better start the second round. But at 1-1, Keys returned the cover to break and bring the favorite out of its hinges. Warned by the chair judge following a racket throw towards her clan, Sabalenka came close to the correctional.
Led 4-2 then 5-4 service to follow for Keys, Sabalenka could have left the New York scene in the last four as in the last two editions. But as the game wrapped up, Keys tensed up and Sabalenka took advantage. Returning to 5-5 after a blank break, the semi-finalist at Roland-Garros experienced the end of the second set as a turning point in the match to win the decisive game 7-1 with control and equalize at one set everywhere ( 7-6). Stunned but not yet sunk, Keys offered a good resistance in the last set. Even better: the number seventeen seed led 4-2 before suffering a break in the next game. Again, it all came down to a tie-break, or rather a super tie-break. Overwhelmed by emotion, Sabalenka believed to win 7-3, but it was still necessary to gain three points. Finally, the duel ended at 10-5 (7-6). Sabalenka can breathe, even if the hardest part awaits her on the last march against the scarecrow Gauff.
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