Aryna Sabalenka reached the US Open semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Zheng Qinwen, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist. And, as she is set to face Emma Navarro next, she tried to win the public with a special offer.
“Drinks on me tonight?”, she offered, with the crowd cheering. “Yes, drinks on me, guys, and please give me some support in the next match,” she said, laughing. Her offer is quite generous considering that Honey Deuces, the iconic cocktail of the tournament, are $23 each.
Also, the Arthur Ashe Stadium has a capacity of 23,000 people. Among those, however, there was Roger Federer, who returned for the first time to the US Open since his retirement in 2022.
The Swiss star, who is still the last match to successfully defend a title in New York (2008, when he won his fifth title in a row), was received with a loud cheer from the crowd, probably the biggest ovation of the tournament so far.
“I saw him there, saw him on the big screen,” Sabalenka said regarding Federer. “I was like, OK, I have to play my best tennis so he enjoys it. I have to show my skills, you know, slice skills, come to the net and all that stuff,” she added with a laugh.
Sabalenka is going against Emma Navarro in the US Open semi-finals
Sabalenka is just one victory away from reaching her second consecutive US Open final, after finishing as runner-up to Coco Gauff in last year’s tournament. On Thursday, she will face first-time Grand Slam semifinalist Navarro, the No. 13 seed. The two have each won one of their previous two encounters.
“[Navarro is] performing exceptionally,” Sabalenka remarked. “It’s impressive to see her hard work paying off—she’s playing excellent, intelligent tennis, moving well, and hitting with a lot of power.”