US Open, semifinals award Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova
Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova will be the two finalists at the US Open, as far as the women’s tournament is concerned: in the two semifinals, played on the Italian night between Thursday and Friday, the Belarusian defeated Jessica Pegula in a comeback, while the Russian-born American got the better of Naomi Osaka of Japan, again after recovering a set loss.
Sabalenka, who is seeking her second consecutive final victory at Flushing Meadows after last year’s, did not get off to a good start against Pegula, losing four consecutive games at 4-2 and effectively giving away the first set. From there on, however, the world No. 1 did not miss a beat, giving herself another career Slam final: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 the score of the semifinal.
Anisimova, on the other hand, battled no holds barred with Osaka: the first two sets, in fact, both ended in tie-breaks and rewarded first the Japanese player and then the home player. Thus, the third fraction proved decisive, with a break in the fourth game in favor of Anisimova, who thus went on to close 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3.
The final was played in the second set.
The final will be played in the late Italian evening of Saturday, Sept. 6, and will be the tenth ever direct clash between Sabalenka and Anisimova: the precedents smile on the American, who has won six times against the Belarusian’s three victories. The’last head-to-head, in the semifinals at Wimbledon, rewarded Anisimova in three sets, while the one immediately preceding, in the round of 16 at Roland Garros, saw Sabalenka win 7-5, 6-3.
