By Tony Fairbairn
- Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Emma Navarro [13]
- Jessica Pegula [6] v Karolina Muchova
NEW YORK, USA – Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula battle former US Open semi-finalists in their bid to set up an all-American final in New York.
 |
Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Emma Navarro [13] | H2H: Tied at 1-1
It’s been another dominant Grand Slam on hard courts for Aryna Sabalenka as the world number two is into the semi-finals of the US Open for a fourth consecutive year. A crushing win over Olympic gold medallist Qinwen Zheng means Sabalenka has reached the semi-finals or better at her last five Grand Slams on hard courts and will now look to secure a third Grand Slam title in New York. A tough semi-final awaits in the form of Emma Navarro who is into her first Grand Slam semi-final after knocking out defending champion Coco Gauff and Paula Badosa.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Emma Navarro [13] | H2H: Tied at 1-1 |
| US Open 2024 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $1,000,000 |
| Second on Arthur Ashe Stadium (Not before Midnight BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Sabalenka is into a fifth consecutive hard court Grand Slam semi-final after a dominant run to the semi-finals in New York.
A massive opportunity awaits Sabalenka as she is the favourite to capture her first US Open title and her third at Grand Slam level.
Next up for Sabalenka is first time Grand Slam semi-finalist Navarro who has been on a tear at this year’s US Open as her stubborn defensive game has paid off and now is two wins away from achieving her childhood dream.
The 13th seed has produced some incredible tennis and will hope her breakthrough season can be rewarded with a Grand Slam final.
After her win over Zheng, Sabalenka remained unfazed by being favourite for the title and praised Navarro’s game ahead of their semi-final clash.
“If you get to the Top 5 level, anyway, everyone will take you as a favourite,” Sabalenka claimed to the WTA website.
“But as I always say, it’s not about being favourite, it’s about how hard you’re ready to fight for it. It’s going to be tough moments in the matches when you don’t feel your best and you have to go through it. But I’m really glad they take me as a favourite, and I’ll do my very best to hold this beautiful trophy.”
“[Navarro is] doing really well. Beautiful to see she’s working hard, playing really great tennis, smart tennis, moving well, hitting pretty heavy shots. Last two matches we played was really tough, tough matches physically and mentally.
“Even though I won the last one in two sets, it wasn’t that easy match, and it was very intense match. I’m really looking for another great battle against her.”
As for Navarro, the American spoke about her mindset and admitted she is playing the best tennis of her career.
“So coming out on the court here today, I felt much much more comfortable, and yeah, I was ready to rock,” Navarro told the US Open website.
“I think I’m at the point in my career where I’m not scared of any result or making a run at any tournament. I think I’ve gone through periods of time where I’m surprised at where I’m at. But also when I look back and think about the methodical approach to tennis that I’ve taken…it’s not surprising.
“I feel just more comfortable now with having good results and having success…I think I’m ready to be in this position and I think that’s probably a result of just this sort of slow, gradual approach I have taken to tennis and improving myself.”
Sabalenka will aim to dominate on her serve and use the forehand to create angles on the court, forcing Navarro to move around the court.
Meanwhile Navarro will look to soak up pressure on the baseline as she aims to play counter-attacking by forcing Sabalenka into tactical errors.
This should be a close encounter as Navarro’s style of play will force Sabalenka into playing an extra ball so this will be a huge test of Sabalenka’s character and patience.
However Sabalenka should have the quality and experience to prevail as she aims for a second consecutive US Open final.
Prediction: Sabalenka in three sets.
 |
Jessica Pegula [6] v Karolina Muchova | H2H: Pegula leads 1-0
After six failed attempts at the quarter-final stage, Jessica Pegula can finally call herself a Grand Slam semi-finalist. The American did it in style as she knocked out world number one Iga Swiatek in an impressive straight sets victory and now Pegula will hope that burden is lifted off her shoulders as she aims to reward her recent form with a Grand Slam final on home soil. A very tough opponent awaits in the semi-finals in the form of Karolina Muchova who is into her second consecutive US Open semi-final after thrashing Beatriz Haddad Maia.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jessica Pegula [6] v Karolina Muchova | H2H: Pegula leads 1-0 |
| US Open 2024 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $1,000,000 |
| Third on Arthur Ashe Stadium (01:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After injuries halted the start of her season, Pegula has produced some impressive form in the second half of the season and has the ultimate reward by reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final.
Pegula is the ultimate example of perseverance as after six failed attempts at the quarter-final stage, the American has finally achieved her best Grand Slam result and will now hope to continue her Grand Slam dream by reaching the final.
Standing in Pegula’s way is Muchova, who is into a second consecutive US Open semi-final with the Czech Republican yet to drop a set at the tournament so far.
Muchova’s mix of creativity and power makes her dangerous opponent for any player and will now hope to reach a second Grand Slam final of her career.
After her win over Swiatek, Pegula is relieved not to be asked about her quarter-final curse at Grand Slams as she was relieved to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
“I would like to say I’m so happy that you guys cannot ask me about making it to the semis,” Pegula was quoted by the WTA website as telling journalists.
“It wasn’t even a me thing. It was more people asking me. I’m really happy to be through to the semifinals. I thought I played a really clean match, served pretty well, returned well. I feel like I didn’t really do anything that bad, and was able to kind of jump on her really early and I think frustrate her, and was able to keep my level even when she picked it up in the second set.
“I think today I wanted to come out playing the way I wanted to play. I had an idea in my mind of what I learned from the last time I played her at Finals and play kind of within myself and then just see where she was at.”
Meanwhile, Muchova reflected on the tough run of injuries she has had over the last year and previewed her semi-final match with Pegula.
“I’ve been through a lot of them. This last one, the wrist surgery, was one of the worst,” Muchova analysed to the US Open website.
“Looking back, I’m like, ‘Oh, it actually flew by, the time,’ and I feel strong again. But [in] February, I wasn’t always that positive. It was tough moments, honestly, when I couldn’t move the arm and couldn’t do much.
“But then, I always try to focus on: what’s the first step I can do towards recovery? I had really great team of doctors. I’m very grateful…that I’m here playing pain-free.
“She’s playing unbelievable: Toronto title and then finals in Cincinnati. She’s on fire, playing this deep in the tournaments week by week. She’s just great player, playing very deep in the court, good mover. We played in Cincinnati. That was tough battle. She didn’t give me one point for free.”
The serve will be key for Pegula as she needs to be aggressive and proactive as she looks to neutralize Muchova’s creativity.
Meanwhile Muchova will aim to rush Pegula’s baseline game but offering a variety of spins and speeds in order to extract unforced errors from the American.
This will be a tight match with both players in-form and feeling confident but Pegula has the game to deal with Muchova’s creative style of play which is why she is slight favourite heading into this semi-final.
Prediction: Pegula in three sets.
How to Watch/Follow US Open 2024
| Live Stream | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
| Live Scores | Tennis Scores Powered By TNNSLIVE |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |