CNN
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Arina Sabalenka Showed why he is one of the favorites to win this year. US Open After a dominant performance against Zheng Kunwen on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals.
The world No. 2 overcame the Chinese 20-year-old with a 6-1 6-4 win inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Zeng was no match for Sabalenka’s big serve and powerful shots, as the Belarusian comfortably reached the final four of the US Open.
After some early high-profile exits, Sabalenka is the highest seed left in the draw and looks like the player to beat.
“I think I definitely played great tennis today,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “Very happy with the performance. I have another chance to do better in the semi-finals.
She will face Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrova or American Madison Keys for a place in the final.
Iga Świątek’s early exit from the US Open means that whatever happens, Sabalenka will become world No. 1 for the first time on Monday.
Her rise in the world rankings came after a remarkable year in which she won three titles, including her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
He continued that dominant form against Zheng in the quarterfinals, blowing away his opponent in an opening set that lasted just 27 minutes.
The break between sets gave Zheng a chance to regroup and she began to progress in the match. The youngster more than held her own against Sabalenka as the pair exchanged service games early in the second set.
It wasn’t until the seventh game of the set that Sabalenka was able to break Zeng’s resilience to put her nose in front with a crucial break of serve.
Try as Zheng could not hit back and the Belarusian finished the match with ease.
This will be Sabalenka’s third consecutive US Open semifinal as she aims to win a second Grand Slam title in 2023.
Sabalenka – who is in her fifth straight Grand Slam semi-final – has now won the first seven major quarterfinals of her career, second on the all-time list behind Chris Evert who surprisingly won his first 48. .