Aryna Sabalenka now free of the shackles of having to potentially become World No.1 has gone about her business superbly once more and the new leader of the WTA Rankings is into the semi-finals of the 2023 US Open.
Sabalenka saw off Qinwen Zheng who was in her first ever Grand Slam Quarter-Final breaking new ground for the 20-year-old, but it was the more experienced Belarusian who prevailed in just over an hour.
It was 6-1, 6-4 to Sabalenka who will now face the winner of Marketa Vondrousova or Madison Keys who play in the early hours in the last Quarter-Final. The other side of the draw is already set with Karolina Muchova set to face Coco Gauff.
The power started to tell early on with Sabalenka seeing the ball earlier than Zheng and went 2-0 up in the process.
This dominance was on full display as Sabalenka went 4-0 up and was yet to drop a point on her serve up to that point. She went on the attack on the Chinese ace's service game. The forehands proved too much and Zheng hit one into the net and a backhand out wide to set up three break points for Sabalenka.
Saving one, Sabalenka gratefully received another. She had won 16/19 points off one unforced error to go 4-0 up.
Despite Zheng's efforts to try and get into the game, they were very much thwarted as Sabalenka dictated every point and dominated the play.
It was a lot more of a contest in the second. Despite being unable to cause any break opportunities, Zheng led 3-2 as it continued on serve. But it soon turned around. Testing the backhand of her opponent after an easy hold, it went long in return from Zheng and Sabalenka's command continued.
She double-faulted twice but powered her way out of trouble at 4-5 and even brought up a match point as it looked to be over early but it wasn't as Zheng held her resolve to force Sabalenka to serve it out which she did.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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