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"Last year it was very tough experience, very
tough lesson. Today in the match, I was, like, no, no, no, Aryna,
it's not going to happen again," the Australian Open champion
told reporters.
"Tough losses never make me feel depressed ... only motivate me
to come back and to try one more time, try harder and maybe,
like, work harder on some things which maybe didn't work in the
past."
The Belarusian will face another American in the final, with
Jessica Pegula defeating Karolina Muchova 1-6 6-4 6-2 in the
second semi-final.
Sabalenka, who has beaten Pegula five times in their seven
previous matches including in the final of last month's
Cincinnati Open, said the New York-born sixth seed was playing
her best tennis in this tournament.
"We had a lot of great battles in the past, really difficult,
tight matches," Sabalenka said. "Feels like she's back on
track... she's in incredible shape. It's going to be another
great battle against her."
The 26-year-old, who lost in the semis twice before reaching the
final last year, said she hoped her long wait for a U.S. Open
singles title would end this year.
"Every time I'm coming back here, I have this positive thinking,
like, come on, maybe this time. Every time I'm hoping that one
day I'll be able to hold that beautiful trophy," Sabalenka said.
"I'm still hoping to hold that beautiful trophy."
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Jamie
Freed) [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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