The US Open women’s singles tournament is down to one final semifinal. No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion of the Australian Open, reached her second US Open final in a row. The 26-year-old is in the best phase of her career and will try to end it with a win in Flushing Meadows.
No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula is aiming for her first Grand Slam final. The 30-year-old is enjoying the best Grand Slam singles run of her career, defeating world number one Iga Swiatek to reach this semifinal.
The fourth semifinalist, Karolina Muchova, lost to Gauff in the semifinals of the US Open last year.
Aryna Sabalenka defeats Emma Navarro
In their third meeting of the year, No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated No. 13 seed Emma Navarro in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
Despite having the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd on her side and rooting for the underdog, Navarro had no answer to Sabalenka’s powerful serve (with seven aces) and forehand. Her late speed helped her stay in the match with strong defense. But Navarro had to defend frequently because she couldn’t win the game back with her second serve.
Just when it looked like Navarro might be able to fend off Sabalenka’s attack, the No. 2 seed surprised with drop shots. He showed flair closer to the net while Navarro ran back to catch up with Sabalenka’s power. It was a difficult combination to cover. Trying to surprise Navarro sometimes led to unforced errors.
However, Sabalenka’s tendency to rely on her power sometimes leads her to pay attention to her serves and returns rather than moving. Navarro took advantage of this, showing speed all over the court and occasionally catching Sabalenka off guard to win points.
In the second set, Sabalenka’s powerful forehand won her break point, even as Navarro tried her best to keep up. Trying to stay on her feet and move quickly from side to side, Navarro ended up slipping and scraping her right knee. This may not have hampered her physically, but it was indicative of the pressure Sabalenka was putting her under.
Eventually, Navarro could no longer slow down Sabalenka’s pace – even though her knee gave her the opportunity to break – and could no longer control the match. Navarro fought back to 4:3 and 5:4 in the second set, again winning with speed against Sabalenka’s power.
The second set became a battle of agility and power, with Navarro keeping Sabalenka at bay and frustrating her. Navarro’s speed along the baseline, reaching and blocking shots Sabalenka thought were out of reach, surprised her.
But despite her incredible fight that forced the second set into a tiebreak, Navarro had to play catch-up throughout the match and in the end the deficit caught up with her. Sabalenka built a wall, winning 8 out of 10 points and recovering after becoming frustrated at not being able to beat Navarro.
Sabalenka reaches the final of the US Open for the second time in a row.
How to watch the US Open women’s semifinals
Time: 9pm ET
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium |
Channel: ESPN
Electricity: Fubo, ESPN+
Stay with Yahoo Sports all night for live updates on the 2024 US Open semifinals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Live32 updates
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Pegula makes the break and takes a 2-0 lead in the third set.
Here we have gone completely backwards. Pegula takes a clear lead in the third set and Muchova is now yelling at her box. Now it is Muchova who has to adapt.
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Pegula wins the second set
After losing a set and a break, Pegula fought back, leveled the match and took it to a winner-takes-all third set. She looked much better in this set, especially after the first few games, but 19 unforced errors from Muchova in this set also helped her. She still doesn’t win her first serve enough, taking 13 of the 24 points in this set, but she managed to punish Muchova’s second serve (12 of 15 points won).
This will be Pegula’s first three-set match of the tournament.
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Muchova immediately gets another break and is 4:3 behind
This was an eventful second set as Muchova prevented Pegula from consolidating the break. She also seems to be reaching a little to her side so she might be struggling with something.
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Pegula takes the lead 4-2
That was a big hit. After four deuces, Pegula gets her second break and is now well on her way to leveling the match. A few games ago she seemed to be completely down, but now she gets her first break and screams. That would be quite a comeback.
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Pegula makes the break, 2:2 draw
Finally. Muchova hasn’t played particularly well, but Pegula is back in this match.
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Pegula scores, now he is 2-1 behind
She only held her serve, but even that is significant for Pegula at this point. She had to fend off a break point in the process. Strong stats: She has won 10 of her 22 points on first serve so far. Muchova, meanwhile, has won 15 of 19. Unless Pegula figures out how to turn both of those things in her favor, it’s basically over.
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Pegula is broken to make the second
Now it’s all up to Muchova. She has won all eight points at the net and still shows a clear advantage in the rallies at the baseline. Pegula’s body language is not encouraging and she will need quite a turnaround.
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Arthur Ashe Stadium tries to breathe some life into Pegula
The New York crowd does its best to support the only remaining American in the women’s field, cheering her warmly as she wins her first point in the second set.
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Muchova wins the first set 6:1
That was easy, at least after the break points. Muchova was all over the court, taking advantage of both Pegula’s first and second serves and hitting 11 winners to Pegula’s three to comfortably win the first set. Unless Pegula gets back on track, the match will last less than an hour.
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Then Muchova manages the break and leads 3-1
The Czech veteran is making a good impression so far, or at least a better one than Pegula, who made three unforced errors and essentially gave away a game she should have won.
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Karolina Muchova survives the first big game of the match and leads 2-1
At 1-1, Muchova fended off three break points and held serve in a marathon game that included some really good points.
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Muchova wins the first game without any major problems
Two unforced errors from Pegula, let’s see how she reacts.
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Muchova and Pegula now appear in court
Two players who have struggled with injuries for much of the year are now playing their first US Open final. Pegula is a -155 favorite at BetMGM.
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Sabalenka wins 6-3, 7-6 (2)
Emma Navarro put up an incredible fight and forced the second set into a tiebreak. From there, however, Aryna Sabalenka built a wall, winning 8 out of 10 points and recovering after being frustrated at not being able to beat Navarro.
Navarro had to play catch-up throughout the match and was eventually caught up in defeat. Sabalenka is in the US Open final for the second year in a row.
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Sabalenka recovers
Just as Sabalenka was losing the set, she caught up with a brilliant return that Navarro couldn’t reach despite all his efforts. She needed it.
We are in the tiebreaker 6:6. Agility versus strength.
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Sabalenka becomes frustrated
The inability to shut down Navarro frustrates Sabalenka, who becomes sloppy and hits balls into the net.
At the moment, Sabalenka seems to have no answers and asks her coaches for help. Meanwhile, Navarro gains momentum and the crowd energizes her as she builds a 6-5 lead.
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Navarro creates two break points
We’ve said it before, but this match isn’t over yet. Just when it looks like Aryna Sabalenka is about to beat Emma Navarro, the American hits back and holds on to her victory. The second set is tied at 5-5 and the crowd is getting louder.
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Now 5:4 in the second set
Emma Navarro doesn’t let up. Just when it looks like Aryna Sabalenka is going to mobilize her strength and finally defeat her opponent, Navarro strikes back. She holds on, but she doesn’t let up. This tenacity keeps her in a match that she could easily lose.
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Navarro stays with it
Just when it looked like Sabalenka would break through and win the second set and the match, Navarro fought back, closing in on 4-3 and staying in the match. It’s not over yet.
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Navarro has grazed his right knee
While trying to stay on her feet during quick lateral movements, Navarro slipped and scraped her right knee. This may not hinder her physically, but it shows how Sabalenka beats her around the court.
