Aryna Sabalenka experienced her first run-in with adversity at this year’s US Open as she was forced to battle back from a set down to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova to book her spot in the fourth round.
Sabalenka, who is in red-hot form after winning the title in Cincinnati, had not dropped a set in her seven previous contests heading into Friday’s match but found herself on the losing end of a 6-2 opener.
However, the rut didn’t last long, and the Belarusian slammed her foot on the gas pedal to surge into the fourth round, prevailing 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 in one hour and 40 minutes.
The 26-year-old came unstuck by the resilience of Coco Gauff in last year’s US Open final but seems to be back to her blistering best as she bids to avenge her defeat from 12 months ago.
Sabalenka has reclaimed her spot as world number two and is the clear favorite to add a title at Flushing Meadows to the back-to-back triumphs she recorded at the Australian Open.
Aryna Sabalenka finishes US Open match at 2am
A dramatic turn of events on Friday saw Novak Djokovic crash out of the men’s singles to Australian Alexei Popyrin in four sets.
This came just hours after Frances Tiafoe had edged his way past compatriot Ben Shelton in a gripping five-set battle that lived up to the pre-match hype.
Having been made to wait in between the contests, Aryna Sabalenka was last out on Arthur Ashe Stadium and ultimately was triumphant in a match that concluded as the clock neared 2am.
“That was an interesting decision in between matches to have this one hour and 20 minute gap,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “I was like ‘no way.. I’m gonna start at midnight’, and that’s actually what happened.
“That was tricky. We stayed with the team and tried to relax. Right before the match, we did our warm up and we hoped for the best.”
Scheduling chaos on day five but Sabalenka looks strong
Sabalenka wasn’t the only one to voice her confusion with the scheduling decisions made on Friday at the US Open.
To the outrage of tennis fans, the all-American clash between Tiafoe and Shelton was penciled as a day event, but the competitors made sure the tournament organizers would regret this decision after producing a five-set epic that inspired the crowd.
Despite all of the scheduling issues, Sabalenka was able to come out and produce two of the most flawless sets of tennis to complete the comeback.
She is most certainly the one to beat in New York, having recorded a statement straight-sets win over Iga Swiatek in the Cincinnati semi-final – her first ever over the world number one.
Sabalenka is now on a collision course with Gauff to meet in an eagerly-anticipated semi-final but, given her recent form, the Belarusian will go in as the favorite.
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