By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Friday, August 18, 2023
Aryna Sabalenka aims to rise to her maiden Cincinnati final—and avenge a painful French Open fall.
Sabalenka slammed a 119 mph ace as a powerful exclamation point to a declarative 7-5, 6-3 win over a hobbled Ons Jabeur in tonight’s Western & Southern Open quarterfinals.
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Sabalenka slashed an ace to cap a love hold for 2-3 in the second set. During the ensuing changeover, Jabeur took treatment for her right foot, which was taped.
Though the three-time Grand Slam finalist played on, she did not win another game. Sabalenka converted six of 10 break points in an 89-minute victory.
The Australian Open champion improved to 44-9 on the season.
“I’m super happy to be in the semifinals again here in Cincinnati,” Sabalenka said. “Right now, I’m a little bit sad for Ons. I hope she will recover soon and she’ll be ready for the US Open. She’s such an unbelievable player a really tricky opponent.
“I’m just super happy I was able to win this match.”
The victory vaults Sabalenka into her third Cincinnati semifinal and a rematch vs. Karolina Muchova, who delivered the Belarusian’s most gut-wrenching loss of the season in Paris. In an all-Czech quarterfinal, Muchova held a 3-0 lead when Marie Bouzkova retired with a leg injury.
Staring down match point and a 2-5 deficit to Sabalenka in the Roland Garros semifinals last June, Muchova fired a forehand winner to save match point and spark an improbable comeback.
Muchova surged through 20 of the last 24 points and five straight games, shocking the second-seeded Sabalenka 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5 to battle into her maiden major final at Roland Garros.
That collapse denied Sabalenka a shot at world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the French Open final. Sabalenka said she’s eager to face Muchova again.
“Fingers crossed,” Sabalenka said. “She’s a great player. We had a really great battle at Roland Garros. She played unbelievable tennis. It’s going to be a great battle and I’m really looking forward to semifinals.”
Photo credit: Robert Prange/Getty
