Sabalenka serves up sweet revenge against Fernandez at US Open

Aryna Sabalenka got the revenge she craved on Friday by defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-3 7-6(2) to erase the sting of her 2021 US Open semi-final upset and keep her dream alive of winning back-to-back Flushing Meadows titles.

The world number one had been waiting four years to settle the score with the Canadian, who stunned her in straight sets en route to the 2021 final in their only previous meeting.

"I really wanted this revenge," three-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka said in her on-court interview after winning the third-round match. "I'm very happy with the win."

The match began ominously for Sabalenka though, as Fernandez earned multiple break points in a marathon opening game on Louis Armstrong Stadium, but the Belarusian's resilience shone through as she saved them all before eventually holding serve.

That early test seemed to settle the 27-year-old, who broke Fernandez's serve in the fourth game of the opening set when her opponent double-faulted on break point.

Sabalenka never looked back, facing only one more break point in the match, which she snuffed out with a service winner.

Still, the second set proved far more competitive, with both players trading holds until the tiebreak, where Sabalenka's experience told as she raced to a 6-1 lead before sealing victory with a forehand winner.

The Belarusian extended her record in tiebreaks this season to 20 wins and one loss.

"Sometimes during the set I'm doubting my decisions, and when I get to the tiebreak, I know that there's no time for doubts, and I just have to go for my shots and I have to trust my game," she said.

"I'm reminding myself that I have to trust. I have a pretty good feeling, I know what to do on court, and I'm trying to ... stay aggressive and put as much pressure as I can on my opponent."

The victory extends Sabalenka's perfect US Open third-round record to 6-0 and moves her within four victories of matching Serena Williams' feat of consecutive US Open titles, achieved more than a decade ago.

'NO PRESSURE'

The Belarusian had warm words for Fernandez, acknowledging the quality of her opponent's tennis that made victory far from straightforward.

"She's definitely a tough opponent. I can see she's working hard. She's improving. She played incredible tennis today," Sabalenka said. "I think it was just a few points in each set that decided the result."

Looking back at their 2021 encounter, Sabalenka said: "It was a tough lesson for me back then. Since then, we never played again.

"I just wanted to prove to myself that the lesson was learned and that I developed as a player and, yeah, I could get this win."

There was also an unexpected romantic interlude midway through the match when a marriage proposal unfolded in the stands.

"I think it's the first time that someone proposed during my match," Sabalenka smiled. "It was a very sweet moment. I was just trying not to start smiling, because it's very cute.. I was just trying to keep focusing on my game. It was great moment... I wish them a happy marriage."

Asked if there might be wedding bells soon in her own future, the world number one stayed tight-lipped.

"I don't want this kind of proposal," she said. "But I looked at my boyfriend. Yeah. No pressure."