Aryna Sabalenka claimed a huge win at the Cincinnati Open as she defeated the world number one Iga Swiatek in straight sets.
Sabalenka came through 6-3, 6-3 to reach the final of the tournament which is the warm-up for the US Open later this month.
The Belarussian player was in fantastic form as she came through the match and now faces either Jessica Pegula or Paula Badosa in the final.
Sabalenka will want to get over the line and lift the US Open this year and winning in Cincinnati would give her some serious confidence going into the tournament.
Aryna Sabalenka shares what she had to change during Cincinnati Open win
This was a wonderful win for the 26-year-old and beating the number one player in female tennis is not to be sniffed at.
Sabalenka will now have her sights set on the prize here in Cincinnati and next month when the US Open reaches a climax.
After the win Sabalenka shared what she had to change in order to come out on top against the Polish star Swiatek.
She told Sky Sports: “Yeah, I mean I definitely had a plan and it’s definitely worked well today. I think the key was to not overdo stuff because in the previous match on the match points I was trying to overdo stuff, hit the ball harder and I had to go wider and today I just tried to pretend it was whoever over the net and just focus on myself.
“Well that’s definitely the difficult thing about this surface, my first match was really tricky, I was trying to adjust and figure out what was going on with the surface. As the match went on I felt more confident and as though things were going better and better.”
Sabalenka will want to make up for lost time at US Open
After missing Wimbledon with a shoulder problem, Sabalenka will now be keen to sit among the elite players in the winner’s circle.
Sabalenka won the Australian Open for a second time earlier this year, keeping the title she won for the first time in 2023.
The other majors have escaped her grasp, however, but she did manage to reach the final last year at Flushing Meadows.
Now, Sabalenka will take heart from this win over Swiatek and as a powerful performer, she cannot be ruled out of winning the US Open.
Naturally, she will need a little bit of luck with the draw but this win simply proves that Sabalenka can mix it with the best players on tour.
Now, it will be intriguing to see if she can claim a big win before the year draws to a close.
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