Sabalenka Books Another US Open Final as Zverev and Khachanov Prepare to Settle the Men's Draw

New York delivered its first verdict of the weekend on Wednesday night, and it was a familiar one. Aryna Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 to reach the US Open final, surviving a tense opening set before the match tilted decisively her way. The first set was the whole contest: once Sabalenka edged it 7-5, Pegula's margins disappeared and the second set ran away from her in a little over half an hour. It was a performance built on the same foundations as the rest of Sabalenka's hard-court season — first-strike pressure from the baseline and an unwillingness to let a close set drift.

For Pegula, the defeat closes another deep American run without the breakthrough she has been chasing on home soil. The scoreline flatters Sabalenka only slightly; the American had her chances in the opener and could not convert them, and against an opponent of this profile a single missed window is usually decisive.

Attention now turns to the other half of the draw. Alexander Zverev, the world No. 2, faces Karen Khachanov, ranked No. 50, in Thursday's men's semifinal, a meeting that pits the tournament's highest surviving seed against a player who has quietly assembled one of the best fortnights of his season. On paper the ranking gap is enormous — 48 places — but semifinals at Flushing Meadows rarely respect the numbers. Khachanov's game travels well on quick hard courts, and the match is likely to be decided by whether Zverev can impose his return position on Khachanov's serve or is dragged into the long, flat baseline exchanges that suit the Russian.

Below the majors, the Challenger circuit produced a full day of last-16 and quarterfinal tennis. In Barranquilla, the women's draw resolved its semifinal line-up: Elsa Jacquemot recovered from losing a first-set tie-break to overwhelm Anastasia Tikhonova 6-7 6-1 6-1, Anna Blinkova was ruthless against Julia Riera 6-2 6-2, Leolia Jeanjean edged past Carol Young Suh Lee 6-1 7-6 and Claire Liu saw off Kaitlin Quevedo 7-5 6-1. Blinkova's was the cleanest hour of work on the site.

On the Montreux clay, Martina Trevisan's exit was the headline: she was beaten by Maristany G. 6-2 4-6 7-6 in a three-hour-shaped contest decided by a final-set tie-break. Simona Waltert came back from a set down against Despina Papamichail (2-6 6-1 6-3), Fiona Ferro was solid against Barbora Palicova 6-4 6-4, and Lucie Havlickova advanced past Lucija Ciric Bagaric. The Swiss event now offers an intriguing quarterfinal round: Waltert against Dalma Galfi, Ferro against Havlickova, Clara Burel against Maristany G., and Anastasiia Sobolieva against Noma Noha Akugue.

The men's Challengers were equally busy. Dusan Lajovic looked comfortable in Seville, beating Calvin Hemery 6-4 6-2, and he now meets Henrique Rocha, who dispatched Sebastian Rodriguez 6-4 6-1. The Andalusian draw also sends Jaume Munar, the highest-ranked man in the field at No. 55, against Raul Brancaccio, and Facundo Diaz Acosta against Sebastian Ofner. In Genova, Juan Pablo Varillas dominated Francesco Passaro 7-5 6-1 and faces Thiago Seyboth Wild, a 6-4 winner in sets over Massimo Giunta, in the pick of Thursday's clay-court quarterfinals; Enrico Dalla Valle, who came back to beat Stefano Travaglia 6-7 6-1 6-4, meets Matej Dodig, and Pedro Martinez takes on Valerio Aboian.