If you're a fan of hard-hitting tennis with an abundance of winners, you're going to love Madison Keys taking on Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open.
The matchup happening in the semi-final for a chance to play the final of the final Grand Slam of the year makes it only better. One of those players being an American will give the fans a reason to cheer loudly, which should help Keys.
She's been in a US Open final before, so this is nothing new for her, but it's a bit unexpected. Her demolition of Jessica Pegula a few days ago excited many people, and another easy win over Marketa Vondrousova punched her semi-final ticket.
Sabalenka had no issues against Qinwen Zheng either, so both of them cruised to the semi-final and here we are. Two great players with a very aggressive style who are playing really well at the moment.
Head-to-head:
We've seen this match three times so far on the WTA Tour, with Sabalenka leading 2-1. The most recent one happened this year at Wimbledon, where Sabalenka won 6-2 6-4, and we might see a very similar thing in New York. The problem for Keys is not that she can't outhit Sabalenka.
It's that for every winner she'll hit, the American will also have two unforced errors. She's far less consistent from the baseline and that's an issue. Overcoming that issue will be tough but it's her only way to actually win the match.
Prediction:
Another crucial thing for Keys will be the serve. It's going to be crucial for both players, actually, as they tend to be quite eager to finish off a rally quickly, and getting free points and limiting return winners would help both. Even so, I don't see Keys doing much here because Sabalenka is just better at everything Keys does well.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
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