WATCH: Aryna Sabalenka playfully shimmies during spontaneous limbo dance in warmup session ahead of US Open SF
Aryna Sabalenka appeared to be in high spirits while indulging in a lighthearted moment with her coaching team ahead of her semifinal clash at the 2023 US Open.
Sabalenka will lock horns with American Madison Keys for a place in the final at Flushing Meadows. The Belarusian advanced to the seventh Grand Slam semifinal of her career without losing a set and dropping only 21 games across five matches.
While gearing up for the semifinal on Thursday, Aryna Sabalenka enjoyed a fun dance break during her practice session, shimmying her shoulders while engaging in a limbo dance under a resistance band held up by members of her coaching team.
Sabalenka reached the semifinals of the US Open after securing a dominant 6-0, 6-4 win over Qinwen Zheng. The second seed displayed some of her best tennis, winning 37 of 46 points over the course of the 73-minute long match.
With her win, the 25-year-old advanced to her third consecutive semifinal at Flushing Meadows. She also became the first woman to reach the semifinals of all four Majors in one season since Serena Williams in 2016.
The Belarusian kicked off the season by winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open after defeating Elena Rybakina in the final. Meanwhile, she exited the French Open after suffering a narrow defeat to eventual runner-up Karolina Muchova. Her campaign at the Wimbledon Championships ended with a defeat to Ons Jabeur in the semifinals.
Aryna Sabalenka leads 2-1 in her head-to-head against US Open SF opponent Madison Keys
Aryna Sabalenka will take on Madison Keys for a place in the 2023 US Open final, scheduled to be held on Saturday.
Keys advanced to her third semifinal at the New York Major after beating Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-4 to claim her second consecutive win over a top-10 opponent.
Sabalenka leads 2-1 in her head-to-head against the American. The Belarusian won their most recent encounter in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
Looking ahead to their clash, Madison Keys expressed her appreciation for Aryna Sabalenka, who is set to claim the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career after the conclusion of the US Open.
"I think she's obviously a phenomenal tennis player. There is a reason she's going to be No. 1 on Monday. She has a ton of power. She serves really well. To be quite honest, the year that she was able to have with the serving troubles that she had, I think it just shows she's an incredible competitor and fighter. I mean, she's really, really good," Keys said, as per usopen.org.