US Open 2023: tonight’s women’s semi-final line-up

Tonight in New York, the women’s semi-finals of the US Open take over Arthur Ashe Stadium. Each of the matches will feature members of the top 20 of the WTA rankings. On one side, crowd favorite Coco Gauff (USA) takes on Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic). On the other, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka takes on Madison Keys, the second-ranked American.

The Cincinnati revenge

The first match on tonight’s program will have an air of déjà vu about it. World No. 6 Cori Gauff and WTA No. 10 Karolina Muchova will be facing off in a rematch of the recent WTA 1000 final in Cincinnati. Muchova will be out for revenge, having beaten the American 6-3 / 6-4 last month in their one and only meeting. In terms of results, both the American and the Czech are enjoying the best season of their respective careers. Gauff, who will undoubtedly have the support of the public at just 19 years of age, has the opportunity to qualify for her second Grand Slam final. For Muchova, it would be a first. 

In the previous round, Gauff beat Jelena Ostapenko (6-0, 6-2) and Muchova beat Sorana Cirstea (6-0, 6-3). By way of comparison, the Czech has spent around 8h30 on court since the start of this American fortnight, losing just one set. Gauff, on the other hand, has an extra hour of play in her legs. During the tournament, she dropped three sets along the way.

The unstoppable Sabalenka ?

A real big hitters clash to continue. Driven by her American fans, Madison Keys, ranked 17th in the world, has a tough task ahead of her tonight. She’s up against current world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who takes over the throne of the WTA rankings on Monday. The 25-year-old Belarusian is one of the most in-form players of the moment. As she says herself, she’s worked enormously on her game and has matured. The last Australian Open winner seems to have finally found the right balance between power and composure. This Keys-Sabalenka confrontation also has an air of revenge about it, as the two met recently in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, with Sabalenka winning. 

Tonight, the Belarusian has the chance to erase the setback of 2021, when she lost in the US Open semi-finals to the young Leylah Fernandez, and thus reach the final of the New York major for the first time. Madison Keys, for her part, could achieve this feat for the second time in her career (after 2017). To get there, Sabalenka saw off China’s Qinwen Zhang in the quarters (6-1, 6-4), and Keys beat Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova (6-1, 6-4). The Belarusian hasn’t lost a set since the start of the tournament and spent around 7 hours on court, while the American stayed 7h30 and dropped a single set.