{"id":118302,"date":"2023-09-06T19:29:58","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T19:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/?p=118302"},"modified":"2023-09-06T19:29:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T19:29:58","slug":"aryna-sabalenka-soon-to-be-new-no-1-cruises-into-the-us-open-semifinals-the-denver-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/world-news\/aryna-sabalenka-soon-to-be-new-no-1-cruises-into-the-us-open-semifinals-the-denver-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Aryna Sabalenka, soon to be new No. 1, cruises into the US Open semifinals – The Denver Post"},"content":{"rendered":"
By JAMES MARTINEZ (Associated Press)<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka moved into the U.S. Open semifinals on Wednesday, looking every bit like a player who soon will be ranked No. 1 while rolling to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Zheng Qinwen in just over an hour.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka, who will take over the top spot in next week’s WTA rankings because of the fourth-round loss of current No. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek, still has not dropped a set at Flushing Meadows — and has ceded a total of 21 games through five matches. <\/p>\n
Sabalenka cruised through her quarterfinal in heat that approached 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius), prompting a partial closing of the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof to provide more shade for spectators and players. <\/p>\n
The No. 2-seeded Belarusian has made at least the semifinals at the past five Grand Slam tournaments, winning her first major title at the Australian Open in January.<\/p>\n
“I just gave myself another opportunity to do better in the semis,” Sabalenka said in her post-match interview. “I still have things to do in New York. … I’ll think about being the world No. 1 after the U.S. Open.”<\/p>\n
The other women’s semifinal Thursday will be No. 6 Coco Gauff against No. 10 Karolina Muchova in a matchup of the past two runners-up at the French Open.<\/p>\n
Zheng, a 20-year-old from China who reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal by taking out 2022 U.S. Open runner-up Ons Jabeur, fought off a match point with an ace. But she got just 41% of her first serves in play and won just three points against Sabalenka’s first serve. <\/p>\n
Next up for Sabalenka is the winner of the night match on Ashe between ninth-seeded Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova and No. 17 American Madison Keys, the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up.<\/p>\n
Also scheduled for the day session was Daniil Medvedev against Andrey Rublev in an all-Russian men’s quarterfinal. The third-seeded Medvedev won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2021. <\/p>\n
Medvedev or Rublev will meet the winner of the nightcap between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and No. 12 Alexander Zverev, who won a fourth-round matchup Monday against Jannik Sinner that lasted 4 hours, 41 minutes.<\/p>\n
The other men’s semifinals matchup Friday is already set, with No. 2-seeded Novak Djokovic taking on hard-hitting American Ben Shelton.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP tennis coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/tennis<\/p>\n
Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By JAMES MARTINEZ (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka moved into the U.S. Open semifinals on Wednesday, looking every bit like a player […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n