Aryna Sabalenka wins without hitting a single ball

Aryna Sabalenka, this time, certainly cannot complain. Indeed, the world No. 1 tennis player qualified for the US Open semifinals without playing her quarterfinal match, thanks to the forfeit of her opponent, Marketa Vondrousova. According to reports from ESPN broadcaster ESPN, the Czech was reportedly injured during a training session and was unable to honor the scheduled engagement on the European night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Belarusian will thus arrive rested in the semifinals, where she will face Jessica Pegula, who earlier in the day beat Barbora Krejcikova (6-3, 6-3). The other semifinal, however, will pit Karolina Muchova or Naomi Osaka against Iga Swiatek or Amanda Anisimova, who will compete on Wednesday.

The withdrawal of Vondrousova, who had disposed of Jasmine Paolini in the previous round, also had another consequence: the postponement of the highly anticipated men’s draw match between Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz. Originally scheduled as the second match after Sabalenka-Vondrousova, the match has been moved up, with a scheduled start at 1:00 a.m. Italian time.