Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) expectedly qualified for the quarterfinals of the US Open. The Belarusian tennis player defeated Elise Mertens (Belgium) by 2-0 (6:2, 6:4). Aryna Sabalenka did not allow a single break and easily overcame the resistance of her opponents.
The previous 6 matches between the two invariably ended with success for Aryna Sabalenka and today the tennis player from Belarus added another victory. She will face Qinwen Zheng (China) in the next round, who eliminated Donna Vekic (Croatia) after 2-1 (7:6, 4:6, 6:2).
The match started with a break in favor of Aryna Sabalenka, who served very confidently and did not commit a single double fault in the first set. The second-seeded Belarusian tennis player skilfully controlled what was happening on the court, and at 4:2 she again broke her rival’s serve.
Elise Mertens had individual flashes but missed all four of her break opportunities, while Aryna Sabalenka converted two of her three chances.
Aryna Sabalenka allowed some hesitation at the beginning of the second set but quickly got into a rhythm. The Belarusian player delivered her decisive blow in the fifth game when she broke and took a 3:2 lead. A short time later, Elise Mertens went to three consecutive break points but squandered them. That was all Aryna Sabalenka needed. She took the second set 6:4 and closed out the match in one hour and 38 minutes.
The winner made 41 winners, but also 28 unforced errors.