The Honey Deuces might be flowing in Queens tonight.
Aryna Sabalenka was feeling good after her U.S. Open straight-sets quarterfinal win over Qinwen Zheng, and after the match, she was asked about her upcoming semifinal battle with rising star Emma Navarro.
Taking on an American player on U.S. soil might have few people rooting for her in Flushing, so on the court, ESPN asked Sabalenka, 26, how she might try to win over a couple of swing supporters.
“Drinks on me tonight?” she said with a couple of laughs at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
When asked to qualify if she meant drinks for everybody, Sabalenka responded: “OK, guys, drinks on me and please give me some support in the next match.
Sabalenka, the two-time Australian Open reigning champion, has her sights set on her first singles U.S. Open title after she fell to Coco Gauff in the final last year.
But she won’t get a rematch this year, as Navarro knocked out the 2023 winner on Tuesday in their quarterfinal match.
When asked how she would strategize beating Navarro on Thursday, Sabalenka was nearly at a loss for words.
“Wow, what a question. I mean, I’m gonna try to put so much pressure on her and probably try not let her do her stuff, you know,” she said in her post-most press conference. “Yeah. I have to think about that tomorrow, and I have to talk about that tomorrow with my coach, you know. I’ll just throw it on him.”
A win at this year’s U.S. Open would give Sabalenka her second Grand Slam at the event after she won the doubles tournament in 2019.
