Aryna Sabalenka is making every effort to win the Grand Slam this year after placing second at the US Open the previous year. In her quarterfinal match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 26-year-old defeated Qinwen Zheng of China in straight sets, 6-1 6-2. She also made a lighthearted offer to the fans.
Sabalenka made a very funny offer to the Arthur Ashe audience leading up to her matchup in the US Open 2024 semifinal.
Fans celebrated when she offered to pay for everyone in the crowd to drink after her victory, hoping that they would also support her in her next match.
The reporter asked Sabalenka during the on-court interview: “You made a commitment the other day. the crowd helped you a little bit. Is anyone getting free drinks tonight?”
She hilariously said: “Drinks on me tonight? Drink on me and please give me some support in the next match.”
Sabalenka could lose up to 529,000 dollars if the crowd decides to accept her offer because each cup costs at least 23 USD. The finalist and semifinalist receive 800,000 dollars in prize money each.
Sabalenka at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2024
Currently ranked no.2, Aryna achieved a 45-11 match record in 2024. The Belarussian is now having a run at the U.S. Open where she overcame the world no.203 Priscilla Hon 6-3 6-3, the world no.76 Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-1, the world no.31 Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6 6-1 6-2, the world no.35 Elise Mertens 6-2 6-4, the world no.7 Qinwen Zheng 6-1 6-2 and the world no.12 Emma Navarro 6-3 7-6(2)
.Aryna Sabalenka will compete against the world no.318 Petra Kvitova in the final on Saturday at 6:00 pm on CENTRE COURT. The head to head is 3-2 for Kvitova.
Sabalenka has won 2 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open and Cincinnati. Aryna reached the final in Brisbane (Brisbane International), in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) and in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia).
Sabalenka won 15 titles in her career: 11 on hard courts, 2 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Emma Navarro in 2024
Now the world no.12 (career-high), Emma played her last match on the 5th of September when she lost to world no.2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 7-6(2) in the semifinal of the U.S. Open (draw).
At present, during this year Emma achieved an overall 52-21 match record. The American conquered 1 title in Hobart. The American got to the final in the Paris.
Emma conquered 1 title in 2024 in Hobart. Emma reached the final in the Paris.
Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Navarro squared off 3 times. Their actual record is 2-1 for Sabalenka. The last time they locked horns, Aryna Sabalenka won 6-3 7-6(2) in the semifinal in New York (U.S. Open) on the 5th of September 2024.
Here the video highlights.