From New York to Riyadh, Sabalenka’s season keeps breaking new ground

NEW YORK -- Aryna Sabalenka was in a terrific position to win last year’s US Open but fell in a three-set final to Coco Gauff. In a pattern we have seen before, she avenged that loss earlier this year in Melbourne, beating Gauff in the semifinals and sprinting to her second consecutive Australian Open title.

On Thursday night, with a convincing 6-3, 7-6 (2) win over Emma Navarro, she again advanced to Saturday’s final. As the favorite, Sabalenka has the opportunity to check off another bucket-list item -- a US Open championship and that “beautiful trophy.”

With a sensational season, Sabalenka has thrust herself into position for another career first -- a victory at the year-end championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On Friday, it was announced she’s the second player to qualify. With 6,656 points, Sabalenka trails only Iga Swiatek in the PIF Race to the WTA Finals.

A US Open title would narrow Swiatek’s lead to just over 400 points.

In the moments that matter most, Sabalenka has discovered a way to maintain an equilibrium.

“I think I made really huge improvement on that calmness, on that crucial moments,” she said after reaching the final. “I’m really happy to see that in those key moments I’m able to stay focused and just try to do my best and focusing on my tennis, on things, which I have to do to win this match, not like on outside.

“Even if things are not working well for me, I’m still doing right things and I’m staying in control. I’m actually really proud of myself that I was able to get to the point when I’m in control of my emotions.”

This will be the 26-year-old’s fourth appearance at the WTA Finals and, in a larger context, it could offer the opportunity to regain something quite precious to her -- the No.1 ranking.

A year ago, Sabalenka wrested it from Swiatek, becoming only the 29th WTA Tour player to capture that honor. The run came to an end eight weeks later in Cancun, Mexico. Going in, Sabalenka controlled her destiny.

She won two of three matches in group play, defeating Maria Sakkari and Elena Rybakina, while losing to Jessica Pegula. That brought her to the semifinals -- a critical-mass, all-or-nothing match against Swiatek. A win would have prevented Swiatek from regaining No.1, but Sabalenka fell 6-3, 6-2. Swiatek needed to defeat Pegula in the final to recover the No.1 position.

Swiatek, who had held it for 75 weeks following the retirement of Ashleigh Barty in March 2022, has kept it for another 44 weeks -- a total of 119 for the math-challenged. Sabalenka -- the only player with a chance to win two of the season’s four majors -- would like nothing more than to snatch it back.

In 2021, Sabalenka came into Guadalajara as the No.2 seed but went 1-2 in group play, losing to Sakkari and Paula Badosa. Ironically, her only win came against a 20-year-old Swiatek. A year later in Fort Worth, Sabalenka emerged from group play 2-1 and defeated Swiatek, again in three sets. That led to a terrific final, won by Caroline Garcia 7-6 (4), 6-4.

There was a time when Sabalenka’s emotions sometimes got the better of her. But over time, she’s cleared some daunting hurdles. She confronted her double-fault issues and solved them. She addressed her inability to win a major and is on the cusp of her third. She’ll have the same opportunity to reverse the tables in Riyadh.

Earlier at the US Open, Sabalenka talked about her growing maturity.

“You’re always under pressure,” she said. “Honestly, before, I didn’t even know how to manage that pressure. On those days off, I would think too much about tennis and I would just waste my energy on that.

“Nowadays, I’m just trying to take things easier. I’m just trying to bring my best tennis every time and just trying to fight for it, and I know that no matter what’s going to happen on the court, I’m going to fight for it. If it’s meant to be, it’s going to happen.”

By qualifying for Riyadh, Sabalenka took one more step toward solidifying her place at the top.