Sabalenka serves up sweet revenge against Fernandez at US Open

NEW YORK :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 U.S. 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