Drinks are on me: Aryna Sabalenka hopes to get home US Open crowd on her side against Emma Navarro

NEW YORK – Set to face American Emma Navarro in front of the US Open’s boisterous home fans, Aryna Sabalenka jokingly sought to peel off some of that partisan support by offering them a round of drinks if they cheered for her in their semi-final clash on Sept 5.

The world No. 2 Belarusian has had an up-and-down relationship with the Flushing Meadows crowd over the years, calling them out for a lack of support during last season’s final against home favourite and eventual winner Coco Gauff before shedding tears at the trophy ceremony.

After her routine 6-1, 6-2 win over China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen on Sept 3, Sabalenka was asked in an on-court interview how she might get the home fans on her side against Navarro at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Drinks on me tonight?” she said. “Drinks on me and please give me some support in the next match,” she added, as the crowd clapped and cheered.

The 26-year-old has reached at least the quarter-finals in the last eight Grand Slams she has played, and is in the last four of the US Open for the fourth year in a row.

Those deep runs have left her better equipped to handle the pressure at the business end of the Majors.

“Before, when you’re just coming up on tour, making the second week is something crazy... and you put so much pressure on you about the Grand Slams, about the results and everything,” she said.

“Nowadays, I’m just trying to take things easier. I’m just trying to take it easy.”

Sabalenka has lost only four service games in the tournament so far to emerge as the firm favourite to add another Slam title to her two Australian Open trophies.

“But as I always say, it’s not about being the favourite, it’s about how hard you’re ready to fight for it. But I’m really glad they take me as a favourite and I’ll do my very best to hold this beautiful trophy,” she added.

In the day’s opener, 13th seed Navarro, who beat Gauff in the previous round, continued her meteoric rise to the top tier of tennis with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Spain’s Paula Badosa.

One of only two American women left alongside Jessica Pegula, who will take on world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the last eight on Sept 4 (Sept 5 morning, Singapore time), she stunned a suddenly error-prone Badosa by claiming 24 of the last 28 points of the match to seal the win.

“Things weren’t looking great there in the second set, but I just tried to be really tough, stick in there,” Navarro said.

In the men’s draw, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe set up a blockbuster all-United States showdown in the final four on Sept 6 – they are the two American men’s players remaining.

Fritz, the 12th seed, denied world No. 4 Alexander Zverev another shot at a first Slam title with a 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory two months after beating the German in Wimbledon’s fourth round.

“I’ve had a lot of looks at quarter-finals over the past couple of years and today just felt different,” he said. “I really felt like it was my time to take it a step further.”

Tiafoe reached the semi-finals in 2022 and booked a place in another last-four clash after Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov retired with a leg injury while down 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 4-1.

“It’s not the way I want to get through. But I’m happy. Another semi-final here. Incredible,” the 20th seed said.

Both Fritz and Tiafoe are bidding to end American fans’ 21-year wait for a home-grown men’s champion at a Slam after Andy Roddick’s triumph in New York in 2003.

It will be the first all-American men’s Major semi-final since Andre Agassi beat Robby Ginepri at the 2005 US Open.

In the other quarter-finals, Briton Jack Draper played Australian Alex de Minaur and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner faced 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev. REUTERS, AFP