That Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals of this year’s US Open may not come as a complete surprise when you look at her stats: the Belarusian hits the ball harder than the best male players at Flushing Meadows.
She has built her game around her powerful forehand, which she uses to brush aside her opponents with a terrifying ease that would make most male players uncomfortable. The world number two has averaged forehand topspin speeds of 129 km/h in New York, surpassing the ‘big three’ Carlos Alcaraz (127 km/h), Jannik Sinner (126 km/h) and Novak Djokovic (122 km/h).
Sabalenka appeared slightly embarrassed when asked about her not-so-secret weapon following her fourth-round win over Elise Mertens earlier this week.
“I saw my stats on my forehand and I really can’t believe it’s that fast,” she giggled during the on-court interview. “It felt a little bit awkward to be on top and even hit harder than guys. That’s a really interesting stat.”
The source of her embarrassment may have been recent events. A few days earlier, Chris Evert had been accused of gender stereotyping after he said Karolina Muchova “plays like a man” while commenting on the Czech’s second-round victory over Naomi Osaka.
“She plays like a guy. She wants to play like a guy. The men have a bigger serve than the women, they generally have better volleys, they move a little bit better,” the 18-time major champion said of Muchova.
Her fateful comments may have been well-intentioned – as Muchova later revealed that she modeled her game on that of her childhood hero, Roger Federer. But Evert found herself at the centre of a social media storm, with Ons Jabeur calling her out on X, formerly Twitter. “Muchova is an incredibly talented player. She doesn’t have to be a man to have an amazing serve, volley or movement. Can we please stop stereotyping based on gender?” the two-time Wimbledon finalist wrote.
Comparisons between male and female athletes are often futile due to fundamental differences in physiology. Biology dictates that men can hit the ball harder, but that is precisely why Sabalenka’s ferocious forehand is under the microscope.
The stroke, one of Sabalenka’s most prized, has echoes of Serena Williams’ formidable groundstrokes that ushered in a new era for women’s tennis. It’s also ideally suited to the fast American hard courts and a skill the two-time Slam champion has been honing all year, aided by a conditioning-intensive training regime she’s shared snippets of on her Instagram page.
In the first round of this year’s French Open, Sabalenka recorded a forehand top speed of 125 km/h, breaking Jannik Sinner’s record of 122 km/h. It is no coincidence that she is the youngest woman to reach four consecutive US Open singles semifinals since Venus Williams in 2002, and has also reached the quarterfinals in the last eight Grand Slams she has competed in.
This woman has been trying to consign her tragic defeat to Coco Gauff in last year’s US Open final to the dustbin of history for some time now. Footage has surfaced of her smashing her racket in the locker room after the awards ceremony.
Her frustration at falling short 12 months ago seems all but gone. Sabalenka has cut a jubilant, smiling figure in New York as she moves closer to becoming the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win the Australian Open and US Open.
After her second-round victory over Lucia Bronzetti, she spotted a young girl wearing an identical purple outfit to the one Sabalenka wore during her match and ultimately stole the show. In one of the tournament’s most heartwarming scenes, Sabalenka dragged the young superfan — whom she called her “mini me” — along with her and posed for photos on court.
Although Sabalenka has had a rocky relationship with the Flushing Meadows crowd for years, it appears she is making a conscious effort to win over supporters this year.
After beating Chinese Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in an hour and 13 minutes to set up a semi-final meeting with American Emma Navarro, Sabalenka joked to the crowd that she would buy them a drink or two if they cheered her against Navarro.
“Drinks on me tonight?” she asked. “Drink on me and please give me some support in the next game.”
Even though her pleas fall on deaf ears, Sabalenka’s predatory forehand has won her plenty of admirers in New York and she is the heavy favourite to secure a spot on top of her two Australian Open victories.
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