NEW YORK: Aryna Sabalenka cruised into her fourth consecutive US Open semi-final while Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe set up a blockbuster all-American showdown in the final four to delight fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.
Second seed Sabalenka needed only an hour and 13 minutes to dismantle China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-2 and set up a meeting with American Emma Navarro, before jokingly promising fans free drinks for their support in that match.
The Belarusian has lost only four service games through the tournament to emerge as the firm favourite to add another major title to her two Australian Open trophies after losing the Flushing Meadows final to Coco Gauff a year ago.
"If you get to the top-five level, everyone will take you as a favourite," said Sabalenka.
"But as I always say, it's not about being the favourite, it's about how hard you're ready to fight for it. It's going to be (about) the tough moments in the matches when you don't feel your best and you have to go through it.
"But I'm really glad they take me as a favourite and I'll do my very best to hold this beautiful trophy."
Fritz, the 12th seed, denied world No. 4 Alexander Zverev another shot at a first major title with a 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory two months after dispatching the German in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
"I've had a lot of looks at quarter-finals over the past couple of years and today just felt different," Fritz said. "I really felt like it was my time to take it a step further."
Fritz claimed a tight first set in a tiebreak after the two towering players wowed fans with a mixture of powerful baseline blasts and drop shots and winners at the net.
Zverev roared back to level the match in the next, energised by one of the shots of the tournament, a curling return from out wide that sailed over the net post and landed on both lines but Fritz seized back momentum to reach his maiden major semi-final.
Tiafoe reached the semi-finals in 2022 and booked a place in another after Grigor Dimitrov retired due to a leg injury while down 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 4-1 - retired.
"It's not the way I want to get through. But I'm happy to be through. Another semi-final here. Incredible," 20th seed Tiafoe said.
Both Tiafoe and Fritz are bidding to end American fans' 21-year wait for a homegrown men's champion at a Grand Slam after Andy Roddick's triumph in New York in 2003.
It will be the first all-American men's major semi-final since Andre Agassi beat Robby Ginepri at the 2005 US Open.
In the day session opener, 13th seed Navarro continued her meteoric rise to the top tier of tennis with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Spain's Paula Badosa in a battle of New York-born baseliners.
One of two US women left in the tournament, Navarro snatched an early break to go 3-0 up in the first set and then turned aside two break points to take it convincingly.
Navarro, who beat defending champion Gauff in the previous round, stunned a suddenly error-prone Badosa by claiming 24 of the last 28 points of the match to seal the win in 72 minutes.
"Things weren't looking great there in the second set, but just tried to be really tough, stick in there," Navarro said.
"I felt if I could scrap out a few longer points, maybe put some pressure on her, I felt I could come back and maybe close it out in two sets. Happy with how I was able to do that."
Navarro's compatriot Jessica Pegula faces top seed Iga Swiatek in their quarter-final today. - REUTERS