US Open LIVE: Aryna Sabalenka defeats Emma Navarro in straight sets during women’s singles semi-final

Aryna Sabalanka of Belarus won the tiebreaker in the second set of the women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday evening.

Sabalanka, known for her powerful serves and relentless determination, put all of her strength and focus into returning the ball to breakout American star Emma Navarro.

Now, Sabalanka will head to the finals.

Sabalenka and Navarro and dueling it out in the second set for points and their playing styles are becoming extremely obvious.

Navarro, the American, plays calm and calculated compared to Sabalenka who plays aggressive and hard. The two are an interesting match-up. For every few serves and returns Sabalenka aces, she gets messy – giving Navarro the upper hand.

Meanwhile, Navarro is focused on returning the ball and moving quickly from the left to right corner – anticipating Sabalenka’s powerful hits.

Both women are extremely focused. It will be interesting to see whose playing style comes out stronger.

Arthur Ashe Stadium is filled with familiar faces as Aryna Sabalenka faces off against Emma Navarro in the women’s singles .semi finals.

That includes former tennis player Maria Sharapova, former soccer player Carli Lloyd, actress Elizabeth Banks, media figure Robin Roberts and Brooklyn Nets player Nic Claxton.

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, won the first set in the women’s singles semi-finals, 6-3.

Emma Navarro, of the United States, returned the ball with precision and speed against Sabalenka, who is the number two player. Sabalenka is notoriously a tough tennis player who has powerful serves and strong returns.

Navarro, who is known for her composure on the court, has managed to catch up with Sabalenka quickly thanks to a few aces.

Sabalenaka began the match with her iconic powerful serve and quickly made it to four points bringing the

Navarro, who returned the serve and volleyed for a bit, netted the ball giving Sabalenka her first point.

An ace and two points later, Sabalenka has one point in the game.

American Emma Navarro and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka have stepped onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.

The other American hopeful, sixth seed Jessica Pegula, will face Karolina Muchova for just the second time.

The first meeting between the two came less than a month ago, with the American winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the round of 32 in Cincinnati on her way to a loss in the final against potential opponent Sabalenka.

Pegula is in good form, having reached the final in Cincinnati and won the Canadian Open last month. Muchova is looking for a win that would match her best ever performance in a Grand Slam, when she reached the final of the French Open in 2023.

World number two Sabalenka has beaten Navarro just once before, with the American emerging victorious in the other meeting between the two.

Both previous meetings took place earlier this year, with Navarro winning at Indian Wells in March and Sabalenka getting her revenge in the French Open in June.

Sabalenka has 15 WTA Singles Titles to Navarro’s one, and has won two Grand Slams to the American’s zero. Navarro is continuing her breakout year in the game, with the world number 12 putting in her best performance in a Grand Slam this year, having reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.