Federer was in the house for Sabalenka’s US Open quarterfinal win over Zheng Qinwen.
Aryna Sabalenka lightheartedly commented on Roger Federer attending her US Open quarterfinal match as the Belarusian tennis star remarked she thought the Swiss tennis icon probably came for the Grigor Dimitrov and Frances Tiafoe match but that didn’t stop her from wanting to put up a show for the former 20-time Grand Slam champion.
In the first match of Tuesday’s evening session at Flushing Meadows, the No. 2 seed routinely booked a semifinal ticket after destroying seventh-seeded Zheng Qinwen 6-1 6-2. And it all happened in front of one of the greatest players ever, who famously won five consecutive US Open titles between 2004 and 2008.
“Yeah, I saw, I saw him there, saw him on the big screen. I mean, I’m pretty sure he came to watch Tiafoe and Dimitrov, but still, I was like, okay, ‘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. (Laughter.) Yeah, that was a nice moment. Nice to see him around,” Sabalenka said.
Considering how well the No. 2 played against this year’s Australian Open runner-up, it is safe to say that Federer was probably left impressed with the two-time Grand Slam champion’s performance.
In each of the two sets, Sabalenka earned two breaks without dropping a single game on her serve and she needed just an hour and 13 minutes to set up a semifinal meeting against world No. 12 Emma Navarro.
Sabalenka gives her verdict on the quality of women’s tennis
Over the last couple of years, Iga Swiatek has been the most successful player on the WTA Tour but several other players – including the Belarusian – have managed to achieve success on the biggest stage. And unlike in certain moments in the past when Serena Williams was pretty much a huge favorite going into every Slam, the situation is now different as there are always a couple of legitimate contenders for Major and WTA 1000 titles.
All of that led to some claiming that women’s tennis has evolved to the point where it can be stated that today’s level of the game is better than ever.
“Well, it’s very tough for me to compare, because like five years ago I was a completely different player and I saw stuff differently than I see it right now. But I definitely see a lot of improvement in the women’s tennis. Everyone is getting mentally stronger. Everyone knows how to play tennis. I think tennis is much faster right now. Talking about speed and the way everyone moves. There are statistics,” Sabalenka explained.
“You know, like, everyone kind of knows each other, and it’s all about those key moments in the match who’s gonna handle that pressure moment better. But I definitely think that women’s tennis improved a lot, and it’s more fun to watch, especially, like, deeper stages of the tournaments. I think it’s really fun to watch. Yeah, I see big progress.”
Does Swiatek agree with Sabalenka?
A day earlier, Swiatek ousted Liudmila Samsonova in the US Open round-of-16 and was afterward asked the same question. Reflecting on it, the 23-year-old Pole said she agrees that the women’s game is constantly evolving but noted that she couldn’t be making such huge statements simply because it’s “hard for me to judge.”
“But for sure you need to get better, because I would say, like, getting to No. 1, it happened suddenly for me, but at the beginning I feel like my opponents didn’t really know what to expect from me and how I play. I think, like, 2023 was challenging because I had a target on my back and also players actually learned my game style, so I think you always need to, yeah, learn and try to have more variety and many options on the court, because it’s not like you can keep playing the same tennis. People will figure it out, and it’s going to be much harder to win,” Swiatek explained.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka and Swiatek are inching closer to setting up their first Grand Slam final meeting at the US Open.
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