By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday September 7, 2023

 

Aryna Sabalenka will look to reach her second major final as the women's semis kick off on Thursday at the US Open.

Photo Source: USTA

And then there were four! It’s semifinal time on Day 11 of the US Open And that means we have two women’s semifinals on tap.

Let’s have a look at the matchups… .

[6] Coco Gauff vs. [10] Karolina Muchova

Head to Head: Gauff leads 1-0

Cocomania will be out in full force as the night session kicks off with a semifinal that is a rematch of the Cincinnati final from just under two weeks ago.

Gauff battled past Muchova in that match, 6-3, 6-4, in what was the pair’s first meeting.

There are some strong similarities between Gauff and Muchova. Both are playing their maiden US Open semifinal and both are former Roland-Garros semifinalists (Gauff in 2022 and Muchova in 2023). And they have both undergone a career renaissance in 2023. Gauff has won 16 of her last 17 matches and enters the semis on a 10-match winning streak; Muchova reached her maiden Slam final in Paris and has finally found a way to sustain her peak level without getting bogged down by injuries.

Muchova entered the Cincinnati final on the back of four consecutive three-set wins and admitted she didn’t have her best energy.

"I was a little tired coming into the match," Muchova said. "I knew I have to play fast today, not be in the rallies, because it's been many three-setters here for me, long matches, tough matches.”

It should help the Czech that she has only dropped one set and spent 8 hours and 31 minutes on court, compared to 9:19 for Gauff.

Gauff, meanwhile, has been magnificent under the tutelage of a coaching tandem of Pere Riba and Brad Gilbert. She blasted past Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 in the last round and is playing with supreme confidence.

[17] Madison Keys vs. [2] Aryna Sabalenka
Head to Head: Sabalenka leads 2-1

Madison Keys and her lethal serve had dominated all comers at the 2023 US Open. The American has held serve in 46 of 48 of her service games and is into the last four in New York for the first time since 2018.

Can Keys, who is now coached by her fiance Bjorn Fratangelo and clearly benefiting from the symbiosis of the pair, parlay this torrid form to her second trip to a major final?

Her challenge will be daunting as No.2-seeded and soon to be No.1 Aryna Sabalenka waits. The 25-year-old Minsk native has barely put a foot wrong through five rounds, spending just six hours on court as she dismantled all comers to reach her seventh career Grand Slam semifinal.

But the semis have always been a stumbling block at the majors for Sabalenka. She will have to clear that mental hurdle and outgun Keys in a hard-hitting showdown to reach the promised land in New York. She defeated the American 6-2, 6-4 at Wimbledon in the quarterfinals, and she is in better form, owning a 22-2 record at the majors this year, but Keys will be a dangerous opponent, playing on home soil and looking to spoil Sabalenka’s party. 2017 finalist Madison Keys