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Victor Petkov
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Sabalenka comes from set down to deny US Open from all-American final
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The Belarusian beat Madison Keys in the second semi-final of the women's tournament

Aryna Sabalenka is the second women’s finalist at this year’s US Open. The Belarusian upended Madison Keys in the second semi-final clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium, preventing an all-American final from happening after Coco Gauff had already secured a place in the battle for the trophy earlier.

Sabalenka won 0:6, 7:6(1), 7:6(5) over her 28-year-old opponent, thus qualifying for the first time in her career for the final in New York.

The first set was absolutely flawless for Keys and won it 6:0, which was Sabalenka’s first lost set of the tournament.

The second set was quite different. At the start, Keys had the initiative and made an early break for 2:1, but allowed it to be immediately returned. However, the American took the next game on Sabalenka’s serve and led 3:2, and then consolidated the break with her serve for 4:2. An exchange of games followed, reaching 5:4 in favor of Keys. She then served for the match, but played one of her weakest games and conceded a break point as Sabalenka held on to stay in the tournament. In the end, it came down to a tiebreak, in which the Belarusian was absolutely decisive and gave only a point to her opponent to win 7:1, thus sending the match into a third final set.

At halftime, Keys requested a physical therapist and returned to the locker room, apparently experiencing pain in the back area. The third set was quite dramatic, as again the American was the first to strike, making a break for 4:2. This time, however, she failed to take advantage of the accumulated momentum and allowed the break to be returned instantly. By the end of the set, each of the tennis players was winning her serve, and a super tiebreak had to be played. There, Sabalenka once again dominated and managed to get the win with 10:5 points.