It is the same scenario as a year ago albeit one round earlier as Aryna Sabalenka will face an American in the pressure cooker atmosphere that is Arthur Ashe for a spot in the US Open final. But the World Number Two has aimed for support in a different way.
Her opponent being the American ace Emma Navarro instead of Coco Gauff with the 23-year-old continuing to blaze a trail and it won’t be Qinwen Zheng much to the annoyance of those who crave aggro and drama.
Navarro doubled down on her criticism of Qinwen Zheng after her public damning of the Chinese star at the Olympic Games. But now Sabalenka is aiming to fight fire with fire. She made the crowd a hilarious offer after dominantly taking down Qinwen 6-1, 6-2.
Asked what could get her support from the American fans, she cracked a smile and said. “Drinks on me tonight?” To which Pam Shriver then got Sabalenka to clarify. “Wait, drinks on you tonight? Is that what you said? For everybody?”
She doubled down on her promise. “Okay guys, drinks on me tonight and please give me some support in my next match.”
The honey deuce cocktail which is the most popular costs $23 meaning that if she bought them for the whole stadium, it would account for around £416,000 ($546,733). Perhaps not a promise that she thought through. For getting to the semi-finals too, it is $1m (£762,384) meaning a significant chunk would come out of her purse. Albeit this is hypothetical but given that she folded in front of the crowd last year, it could be a shrewd tactic.
Speaking after her win, she also lauded the progress of women’s tennis with Navarro one of many to find their way through into the higher echelons.
“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. 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.”
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