Aryna Sabalenka has become the first player since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach the quarterfinal stage in each of the four Grand Slam tournaments. On Monday, Sabalenka saw off Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-3 to reach the US Open quarterfinal. Earlier this year, Sabalenka won the Australian Open – reached the French Open semifinal – also made the quarterfinal at Wimbledon.
Aryna Sabalenka is the first woman to reach the quarterfinal or better in all 4ļøā£ majors in the same year since Serena Williams in 2016 š#USOpen pic.twitter.com/5kUkVV8brV
ā SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2023
Sabalenka has been pretty consistent at the Grand Slam level throughout the season and now she is three wins away from winning her second Grand Slam.
Aryna Sabalenka Ā© Getty Images Sport – Al Bello
n 2016, Williams made the final in each of the first three Grand Slam tournaments of the year but only won Wimbledon – also was a semifinalist at the US Open.
Sabalenka emulates Williams’ Grand Slam feat
Against Kasatkina, Sabalenka delivered a big performance to progress into the quarterfinal stage. The night earlier, Sabalenka learned she would be replacing Iga Swiatek at the top spot after the US Open. Going into the Kasatkina match, Sabalenka kept telling herself to remain focused and not be distracted by the latest news. “First of all, I mean honestly, I had no doubt that sheās gonna make it to the final. It was only depending on me, if I will be able to make it to the final. And I really wanted to have this battle and decide everything on court. But I was sad that she lost. It means a lot to me. All this year Iāve been pushing myself so hard to reach this goal, to become World No 1. It really means a lot for me, a lot for my family andā¦ Itās just, itās just unbelievable. Itās something crazy. I still canāt believe it. And I was really afraid that I will be distracted by this news today. So, I was super focused. I didnāt want to lose any point today,ā Sabalenka said after beating Kasatkina.