Aryna Sabalenka admits she battled self doubts during a surprise Wimbledon semifinal defeat to Amanda Anisimova and vows to avoid that when they meet again in the US Open final.
On Thursday evening, the first women's semifinal saw Sabalenka recover from a set down to beat fourth-seeded home star Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-3 6-4. After the Belarusian tennis star booked a final spot in New York, the same did home player Anisimova after also mounting a comeback to defeat Naomi Osaka 6-7 (4) 7-6 (3) 6-3.
Now, everything is ready for the third consecutive Grand Slam meeting between Sabalenka and Anisimova. In the spring, the top-ranked Belarusian claimed a routine 7-5 6-3 win over the American in the French Open round-of-16. But a month later, the ninth-ranked got her revenge after upsetting the world No. 1 6-4 4-6 6-4 in the Wimbledon semifinal.
During the Wimbledon loss, Sabalenka finished had more unforced errors (37) than winners (31). Also, the three-time Grand Slam winner was poor in her break point conversion, realizing only three of her 14 opportunities.
Sabalenka: The key will be to trust my decisions against Anisimova in the US Open final
"I think I have to trust myself, and I have to go after my shots. I felt like in that match at Wimby, I was doubting a lot my decisions, and that was the main thing that was bringing a lot of unforced errors. I gave her a lot of opportunities, and of course, she played incredible tennis, but I feel like I had my opportunities. I didn't use them, and I feel like the key for me is going to be to just go out there, fight, but trust my decisions and go after my shots," the world No. 1 explained.
Anisimova has always been one of the trickiest rivals for Sabalenka and she leads their head-to-head 6-3. However, there is no doubt that the Belarusian - who has far more experience on this stage - enters as the favorite.
It remains to be seen if Sabalenka can get her revenge against Anisimova and successfully defend her US Open title.
