Sabalenka targets second Grand Slam final in stellar season

NEW YORK : Aryna Sabalenka will go into her U.S. Open semi-final with local favourite Madison Keys on Thursday hoping it will be a launch pad and not a familiar stumbling block as the Belarusian continues her quest for a second Grand Slam crown.

Sabalenka fell at the last-four hurdle in her previous two visits to New York and, although the 25-year-old made her major breakthrough by winning the Australian Open in January, she then lost her semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon.

With top seed Iga Swiatek's premature exit from Flushing Meadows, the second-seeded Sabalenka is assured to leave with the top ranking whatever her result against Keys.

"When you get to the last stages of the tournament, you're going to think about what if, what I want, what I would like and you're dreaming," Sabalenka told reporters after crushing China's Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday.

"I'm not trying to block the stats, because when you're trying to block something it's going to keep getting in your head and it can get annoying. When you're not trying to block it, it actually goes away.

"I know I have to do my job. I have to go on court. I have to play my best tennis. I have to fight for it. I know that if I'll be there, if I'll be fighting for my dream, I can get it."

Keys, meanwhile, is hoping to fulfil her own dream of reaching Saturday's final for another shot at a maiden Grand Slam trophy. The 2017 runner-up has once again managed the pressure and unlocked her full potential with a deep run.

"I just find another gear when it comes to Slams," the 28-year-old Keys, seeded 17th, said after beating Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova on Wednesday.

"I think part of it is that I put a little bit more pressure on myself, which is a good thing and