Aryna Sabalenka battled past Polina Kudermetova to reach the US Open third round, where she faces Leylah Fernandez. Jasmine Paolini ousted American teen Iva Jovic and will meet McCartney Kessler next
Former World No. 1 Sabalenka, runner-up to Coco Gauff at last year's US Open, took 90 minutes to overcome American Navarro, who was competing in her first Grand Slam semifinal. Sabalenka has dropped just one set en route to Saturday's final and is aiming for her second consecutive title after winning the Cincinnati Open, where she defeated Pegula in the final, according to WTA stats.
With his advancement, Djokovic became the first male player to record 90 wins at all four Grand Slam tournaments. He is now just eight wins away from tying Jimmy Connors for the most US Open match victories. The first set lasted an hour, with Djokovic winning 6-4 by claiming every point on Djere's serve in the 10th game.
Swiatek, the 2022 US Open champion, saved three set points in the second-set tiebreak to secure a 6-4, 7-6(6) victory in 1 hour and 52 minutes at Flushing Meadows. In their first encounter, Rakhimova showed some promise, despite the match initially looking like a one-sided affair after Swiatek quickly jumped to a 4-0 lead, losing just three points.
