In a thrilling women’s singles semi-final match at the US Open, world number two Aryna Sabalenka faced off against American 17th seed Madison Keys on Thursday. The Belarusian star, who is set to become the new world number one after the tournament, had a disastrous start as she lost the first set 0-6 in just 22 minutes. Keys dominated the set with her powerful serves and aggressive shots, while Sabalenka made 14 unforced errors and failed to hold her serve once.
Sabalenka fights back to level the match
The second set was a different story, as Sabalenka showed her resilience and determination to bounce back from the humiliating loss. She broke Keys’ serve in the third game and held her own to take a 3-1 lead. However, Keys was not ready to give up and broke back in the sixth game to level the score at 3-3. The American then held her serve and broke Sabalenka again to serve for the match at 5-3. But Sabalenka refused to surrender and saved two match points to break Keys and stay alive in the match. She then held her serve and forced a tie-break, which she won 7-4 after saving another match point.
Sabalenka completes stunning comeback in third set
The momentum was clearly with Sabalenka as she entered the third and decisive set. She broke Keys’ serve in the first game and held her own to take a 2-0 lead. Keys tried to fight back and had two break points in the fourth game, but Sabalenka saved them both with some clutch serves and extended her lead to 3-1. The next three games went with serve, as Sabalenka maintained her one-break advantage at 5-3. She then served for the match and converted her first match point with a forehand winner, completing an incredible comeback from a set and two breaks down.
Sabalenka sets up final clash with Gauff
With this victory, Sabalenka reached her second Grand Slam final of the year, after losing to Ashleigh Barty in the Wimbledon final in July. She also became the first Belarusian woman to reach the US Open final since Victoria Azarenka in 2012. She will face American teenager Coco Gauff, who defeated Czech Karolina Muchova in straight sets in the other semi-final. Gauff, who is playing in her first Grand Slam final, is aiming to become the youngest US Open champion since Serena Williams in 1999.