US Open: China’s Zheng has no answer to Sabalenka power as world No 1-in-waiting fires her way into semi-finals
- Aryna Sabalenka takes just 1 hour and 13 minutes to brush past Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-4
- ‘She has one of the fastest serve in tour, close speed to some men’s … Today I didn’t handle it well,’ Zheng says
Aryna Sabalenka stayed on course for her second grand slam title of the season after pummeling China’s Zheng Qinwen in straight sets to reach the US Open semi-finals.
Australian Open champion Sabalenka – who will take over as world No 1 next week – booked her place in the last four with a 6-1, 6-4 victory in 1 hour and 13 minutes.
The Belarusian second seed will face Madison Keys of the United States in the last four. Keys swatted aside Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova by the same score.
Rising Chinese star Zheng had been dreaming of pulling off another upset after reaching her first grand slam quarter-final by downing last year’s finalist Ons Jabeur in the fourth round.
But the 20-year-old 23rd seed never looked like toppling the hard-hitting Sabalenka, who threatened to run away with the match after a blistering start in which she broke Zheng twice for a 3-0 lead, conceding just two points.
Zheng was broken again to go 4-0 down and although she finally held in the sixth game to make it 5-1, Sabalenka served out easily to take the first set in just 27 minutes.