Unstoppable! Aryna Sabalenka yet again secures her spot in the final of the US Open. She defeated the American tennis star, Emma Navarro by 6-3, 7-6(2) in the SF to put her one hand on the title. Sabalenka reached the final last year as well but was defeated by another American youngster, Coco Gauff. Even this time, there’s a chance of her facing yet another American in the final. However, she’s a bit more experienced than both Navarro and Gauff. Who’s she? Well, her name is Jessica Pegula!

The 30-year-old American star has already won two titles this season and has looked in superb form in the 2024 US Open. Pegula is yet to drop a set in this tournament and guess what, she defeated the world no 1, Iga Swiatek in the SF. What does the number 2, think of the chances of facing this mighty challenger on American soil and that too in a Grand Finale? We witnessed a rowdy partisan crowd last year, and even this year we can expect the same if JP makes it through to the finals. Does she really care about Pegula getting a home advantage if she reaches the final?

“No. I don’t really care. Because today was a good test of the crowd cheering for my opponent. Even if it’s going to be Pegula, I don’t care. I’m ready to face whoever. Lesson from last year learned,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. She has faced Pegula seven times in her career so far and currently, Sabalenka leads the H2H with a 5-2 margin. Is it the reason behind her enormous confidence in the battle to get her other hand on the title?

Jessica Pegula is taking on Karolina Muchova (CZE) in her SF match. A win in that match will keep the American hopes alive until the ‘Tiger’ pounces on its ‘prey’! What else did Sabalenka say in her post-match interview after this emphatic SF victory?

“It’s a bit too late” – Aryna Sabalenka’s reaction when she saw the crowd cheering for her after the match

Sabalenka now has a 26-1 record in hard-court slams since the start of the 2023. She has also become the first woman to reach back-to-back US Open finals in the singles event since Serena Williams. Not only that, Sabalenka has now won 35 out of the 38 sets she has played in a major this season. This will be her fourth straight appearance in a hard-court major final. What a player, what a run! Can Aryna Sabalenka now become the first woman to win both hard-court Grand Slam titles in the same year since Angelique Kerber? Time will tell.

She was put under enormous pressure by the crowd in the last 10-15 minutes of the match. Navarro tried her best to make a comeback with the support of the home crowd, but she failed. Did Sabalenka ever get reminded of what happened last year during these intense moments in the match? In reply she laughed a bit and said, “I was like ‘ok Aryna. You have to stay focused. Stay in your thoughts… Focus on yourself. I was thinking a lot and I was like ‘No guys.. not this time.’”

Then interestingly, during her on-court interview, fans gave her a loud cheer and she said, “Guys, now you’re cheering for me. Wow. It’s a bit too late.” So, the match ended in all laughter and a bit of fun. Fans who gave this late cheer for Sabalenka must have suddenly recalled her previous proposal of “Drinks on me tonight?” Jokes apart, she doesn’t have much time to celebrate this victory. In just a few minutes from now, she’d get to know who’ll be her opponent in the final of the 2024 US Open. Do you think she can win the title this year?