Aryna Sabalenka prevented an all-American US Open final, recovering from a 6-0 5-3 deficit to beat Madison Keys and join Coco Gauff in the title match.
First semifinal: Coco Gauff beat Karolina Muchova 6-4 7-5
Coco Gauff reached her first US Open semifinal with a gutsy 6-4 7-5 win over Karolina Muchova in a match interrupted by protesters for 49 minutes.
Numerous errors by Muchova helped Gauff race to a 5-1 lead in the first set, but once the Czech found her composure, she rallied back to 5-4. Yet, a subpar service game from the tenth seed handed the first set to Gauff, and environmental activists disrupted the match shortly afterwards.
Following the first game of the second set four individuals stood chanting for the end of fossil fuels. Three of them were easily escorted out of the stadium, but the fourth protester glued their bare feet to the floor. Due to the nature of this action, New York Police Department and medical personnel were needed in order to safely remove this individual from the stadium. The four protesters were taken into NYPD custody.
The sixth-seeded Gauff secured a break for 5-3 in the second set, but the teenager dropped serve as she served for the match. The American had to demonstrate all of her resolve to finally get over the line on her fifth match point.
