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It started with 128 contenders, but now the number of women at the US Open is down to four.
After nearly two weeks of grueling action in the scorching New York heat, the semifinalists have been confirmed for the fourth and final grand slam of 2023.
American teenager Coco Gauff takes on world No. 10 Czech Karolína Muchová, while world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka takes on local favorite Madison Keys.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the women’s US Open semifinals.
Gauff and Muchová kick off Thursday at 7pm ET at Arthur Ashe Stadium, followed by Keys and Sabalenka.
Viewers in the US can watch all the action on ESPN, while Sky Sports will broadcast the matches in the UK.
For the eagle-eyed fans, you may recall that this particular match took place very recently.
The two went to court just under three weeks ago in the final of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, with Gauff winning in straight sets to claim the biggest title of her career.
Her win in Ohio came in the midst of Gauff’s best form period of her blossoming tennis career, a momentum she has continued at the US Open.
The American’s most recent outing at Flushing Meadows was another impressive performance, easily beating Jelena Ostapenko for her 10th win in a row.
It’s been a bit of a coming-of-age tournament for Gauff, who looks like a serious contender to win her first grand slam title, but she insists she’s not getting ahead of herself.
“There’s still a lot of tennis to play,” said Gauff. “I’m still thinking I’m at the start of the tournament. I used to think close to the end, but right now I’m in the mindset where I told myself I still have two weeks to play.
“Right now I feel emotionally fresh, which I think has been the problem with grand slams in the past. I would be emotionally drained.”
Muchová is seen as the underdog against Gauff, despite also showing excellent form recently to climb to a career-high ranking of No. 10 in the world.
The Czech, who lost in the French Open final earlier this year, has lost just one set en route to the semifinals as she continues an extraordinary comeback season after suffering a series of career-threatening injuries last year.
“Mental strength… how would I describe it?” asked Muchova. “I always feel like I’m pretty tough on life. That helps in tennis. But yes, some days are better; some days not.
She added: “I don’t really want to say all the keys on the tactics. So I just focus on myself. She is very athletic. She never gives up. Runs for every ball. Doesn’t make many mistakes. She has all the strokes.”
In the second semi-final of the day, an American with the audience behind her will also face a European, while Keys will face the Belarusian Sabalenka.
Keys, number 17, is enjoying a resurgence in the tournament after losing to Sloane Stephens in the 2017 final.
She has already beaten three seeded players on her way to the semifinals, most recently flying past Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová in the quarterfinals, as she continues to address the home crowd to inspire her wins.
“I think I just had a really good mentality going into the games. I tried to maybe be a little bit more emotionally balanced,” Keys said of her US Open success after beating Vondroušová.
It was her 26th career win over a top-10 player and sets up a heavyweight bout against Sabalenka, who is currently the player of form in women’s tennis and hasn’t dropped a set on her way to the semifinals.
The Belarusian passed Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals to reach her fifth consecutive grand slam semifinal and continue her remarkable record in major quarterfinals – she has now won her first seven grand slam quarterfinals, second on the list of all times behind Chris Evert who, amazingly, won her first 48.
The 25-year-old will be crowned the new world number 1 when the new rankings are announced on Monday and, having claimed her first grand slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year, Sabalenka is the favorite to win her second. of the year.
She is the first woman to reach the semifinals of all four grand slams in a year since Serena Williams in 2016 and says she has learned a lot from her previous results.
“I had some very heavy losses this year,” said Sabalenka. “But like I said, we don’t lose, we learn. I just get more experience and get stronger.”