New York, Sept. 8 (BUS): The US Open champion will be crowned for the first time on Saturday and world number one Ega Sweetek said all four semi-finalists deserved to be there.
Top seed Swiatek will meet Belarusian powerhouse Arina Sabalenka, while French qualifier Caroline Garcia will face Tunisia’s powerful Anas Jabeur on Thursday with trips to the on-line final, The Associated Press reported.
“It feels like we’ve won them all,” Swiatek said after winning her quarter-finals in straight sets over American Jessica Pegula.
“Sometimes all the semi-finalists are a surprise. At the moment we are very strong. So I am happy with that.”
No one was surprised to see 21-year-old Swiatek in the mix. The Pole racked up a 37-game winning streak earlier this year before calming down ahead of the New York Grand Slam.
Despite her struggles in previous rounds, she upped her game late Wednesday, striking with forehands and playing excellent defense to outsmart Pegula.
Standing in the way for Swiatek, sixth seed Sabalenka, who showed her strength by coming back from a set and trailing 5-1 to Kaia Kanepi in the second round, saved two match points along the way.
“She is a strong opponent, but I will do everything in my power to make her work as well as possible,” Sabalenka said of Swatik, who is leading 3-1 in head-to-head.
Garcia, seeded 12th, is enjoying a career renaissance and plays with almost bragging confidence after qualifying for the semi-finals without dropping a set.
Since returning from a foot injury in May, the 28-year-old has won three events on three different surfaces – on clay in Warsaw, where is Swiatek, on grass in Bad Homburg, and on hardcourt at the Cincinnati Open.
Jaber beat Garcia several times during their younger days, something the French lady wants to correct.
“She stopped me a few times on my way to winning the Grand Slam,” Garcia said after beating Coco Gauff in the quarters.
“It’s fun to see her again in the semi-finals at the US Open. It’s a huge challenge for me, for me. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Jaber said she expects a tough battle.
“I’m so happy for her that she’s back where she belongs,” she added.
“Whoever can impose her game will be in better shape. So I will try to play my game. I will try to be me.”