Sabalenka, Suarez-Navarro Advance To Connecticut Open Final

Twenty-year-old Aryna Sbalenka will go for her first-ever WTA Tour win
on Saturday when she plays veteran Carla Suarez-Navarro for the
Connecticut Open singles title.

By Dan Imoff

NEW HAVEN—On any other day, Julia Goerges would be confident of walking off the court with a win next to her name. Such had been her air of confidence since making a run to the Wimbledon semifinals last month that Georges’ level of confidence and play in the Connecticut Open semifinal on Friday would usually have been enough.

But a star was in the making, and she was trading blows with the last seed standing in the tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka, a tall (6-0), athletic, 20-year-old Belarusian took everything Goerges offered and more and advanced to her third WTA Tour final of the season—and the fourth of her career—with a 6-4, 7-6(3) triumph over the German star.

 “I play a lot of two sets, not of three sets. I'm more fresh, ready for the final,” Sabalenka said. “It's not the first time, so a little bit I know what I have to do tomorrow, I mean mentality.

 “If you not count the match with [Daria] Gavrilova, I was pretty calm on the court. I know what happened there. On another matches, I was really calm. This was the key for all matches.”

A maiden career title beckons, and only Carla Suarez-Navarro stands in the way. It will be her first final as the highest-ranked player, having fallen to Maria Sharapova, Elise Mertens and Caroline Wozniacki in her first three.

 “I mean, it doesn't matter the ranking of players. Everyone can play. This is so,” Sabalenka said. “But you just have to be focused on your game, to bring all what you have on the court. Doesn't matter if it's second in the ranking or it's like something else.”

Sabalenka was no one-trick pony. While able to blast heavy winners off both wings, she brought variety to the table with intermittent top-spun ground-strokes to break Goerges’ rhythm and keep her pinned deep. The intensity never wavered. Where impatience was often the 20-year-old’s undoing, she stuck with it.

After the German held for 4-4 on an 11-minute game, Sabalenka pounced two games later, breaking to love to secure the opening set. That competitive fire was on full display when she roared with approval after she broke back to level in set No.2.

Again Goerges held the upper hand with a set point on serve at 6-5 but Sabalenka needed no invitation to punish anything passive and broke back to send the set to a tie-break. From 3-0 down in the tie-break, the 20-year-old stormed back to reel off the final seven points of the match. A thunderous backhand skimmed off the baseline to seal Goerges’ fate.

 “I will tell myself like, ‘OK, this is the next one… try to enjoy it,” Sabalenka said. “Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just enjoy. It's enough.”

Sabalenka’s will be a name to remember should she complete the job on Saturday. It is a name now firmly in the mix of US Open title favorites.

Suarez-Navarro had an easier time of it, advancing to her first final of the season when her opponent, Monica Puig, retired with an abdominal strain when scores were locked at 4-4.  The former world No.6 will play for just her third career title, her first since Doha in 2016.

 “Yeah, it's not the way [I want to advance],” Suarez Navarro said. “I mean, I feel like I didn't play and I'm in the final. I wanted just Monica to be good because nobody wants to [miss] a Grand Slam, so we only have two or three days to start there.”

CONNECTICUT OPEN - NEW HAVEN

$799,000
17-25 AUGUST 2018

RESULTS - AUGUST 24, 2018

Women's Singles - Semifinals
A. Sabalenka (BLR) d [5] J. Goerges (GER) 64 76(3)
C. Suárez Navarro (ESP) d [Q] M. Puig (PUR) 44 Retired

Women's Doubles - Semifinals
[1] A. Sestini Hlavackova (CZE) / B. Strycova (CZE) d A. Rosolska (POL) / A. Spears (USA) 36 63 12-10
S. Hsieh (TPE) / L. Siegemund (GER) d [WC] Ka. Pliskova (CZE) / Kr. Pliskova (CZE) walkover

ORDER OF PLAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2018
STADIUM start 12:30 p.m.

DOUBLES FINAL - [1] A. Sestini Hlavackova (CZE) / B. Strycova (CZE) vs S. Hsieh (TPE) / L. Siegemund (GER)

Not Before 3:00 p.m.
SINGLES FINAL - A. Sabalenka (BLR) vs C. Suárez Navarro (ESP)

12 noon-4p.m.: BEER FEST AT THE CONNECTICUT OPEN
New for 2018, the Connecticut Open will host a craft beer festival featuring 30 local breweries on finals day. Tickets are $40, which includes general admission, middle tier seat for the singles and doubles finals.