Aryna Sabalenka cruised past Barbora Krejcikova 6-1 6-4 to reach her first US Open semifinals. The exit of the reining Roland Garros champion means that we are guaranteed a first-time Grand Slam champion at Flushing Meadows this year.
The sole game Krejcikova won in the first set was a break, but it was quickly neutralized by the second-seeded Sabalenka. In the second set the Belarusian didn’t even face a break point, although the score was less lopsided.
Sabalenka has been among top performers on the WTA Tour, but only at this year’s Wimbledon, where she reached the final four, did her game start to take her to later stages at majors.