World number two Aryna Sabalenka reached a second successive US Open final on Thursday when she defeated a battling Emma Navarro as well as a partisan crowd to move one win away from her third Grand Slam title.
Double Australian Open champion Sabalenka triumphed over the 13th-seeded American 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) and will face either Jessica Pegula of the United States or the Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova in Saturday's final.
Navarro, playing in her first semi-final at the majors, went down fighting, however, when she clawed her way back from 3-5 down in the second set to take her chances in a tiebreak.
Sabalenka sent down 34 winners to the 13 of the 23-year-old American in the tie. "Guys, now you're cheering for me. Wow. It's a bit too late," Sabalenka told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. "It really means a lot and even though you guys were supporting her still I had the goose bumps for you cheering.