Aryna Sabalenka moved within one win of her first WTA victory after defeating fifth seed Julia Goerges 6-4, 7-6(3) on Friday to reach the final of the Connecticut Open.
The 20-year-old Belarusian put Goerges under constant pressure with her aggressive style, winning 14 break points to grind the German down. The in-form Sabalenka will be playing in her third final this season, having lost to Elise Mertens at the Ladies Open Lugano in April and Caroline Wozniacki at the Nature Valley International in June."I will tell to myself like, 'Okay, this is the next one, try to enjoy it,” Sabalenka told reporters. "Just enjoy. Don't put too much pressure."
Sabalenka will meet Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the final after she secured her spot when opponent Monica Puig retired at 4-4 in the first set.
Puig took a lengthy medical timeout at 4-3 and after a quick service hold by Navarro, withdrew fighting back tears.
Navarro has played very little tennis in reaching the final.
She received a walkover win in the second round when opponent Johanna Konta withdrew because of illness and Petra Kvitova also retired from their quarter-final with a shoulder issue.
She will be playing in her first final since 2016.
“It's special because it's my first final (of the year),” she said.
“It's never easy to play a final, in a really good tournament like this, so I'm really happy to be on court tomorrow again.”
Johnson to meet Medvedev in Winston-Salem final
American Steve Johnson overcame second seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final of the Winston-Salem Open. Johnson served strongly to close out the match and will try to become the first player in 2018 to win a title on three different surfaces.
The 28-year-old won in Houston on clay in April and the Hall of Fame Open on grass last month.
In the Connecticut final he will take on Daniil Medvedev who thrashed Japan's Taro Daniel 6-1 6-1.
The 22-year-old Russian Medvedev is looking for his second title after winning his first at Sydney in January.
