cnn
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It started with 128 contenders, but now the US Open women's field has been reduced to just four.
After almost two weeks of grueling action in the scorching New York heat, the semi-finalists for the fourth and final Grand Slam of 2023 have been confirmed.
American teenager Coco Gauff will face Czech World No. 10 Karolína Muchová, while World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will face local favorite Madison Keys.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the US Open women's semi-finals.
Gauff and Muchová begin play at Arthur Ashe Stadium at 7 pm ET on Thursday, followed by Keys and Sabalenka.
US viewers can watch all the action on ESPN, while Sky Sports will broadcast the matches in the UK.
For those eagle-eyed fans, you may remember that this specific matchup took place very recently.
The two took the court a little less than three weeks ago in the Western & Southern Open final in Cincinnati, with Gauff winning in straight sets to claim the biggest title of her career.
Her victory in Ohio came amid Gauff's best period of form in her burgeoning tennis career, momentum that continued into the US Open.
The American's most recent outing at Flushing Meadows was another impressive performance, beating Jelena Ostapenko with ease for her 10th consecutive victory.
It has been something of a coming-of-age tournament for Gauff, who looks like a serious contender to win her first Grand Slam title, but insists she is not getting ahead of herself.
“There's still a lot of tennis left to play,” Gauff said. “I still have the mentality that I am at the beginning of the tournament. I used to think close to the end, but right now I'm in the mindset that I told myself I still have two more weeks to play.
“Right now I feel emotionally fresh, which I think was the problem in the past at Grand Slams. “I would be emotionally exhausted.”
Muchová is seen as the underdog against Gauff, even though she also recently showed excellent form to rise to a career-high world No. 10 ranking.
The Czech, who lost in the French Open final earlier this year, has dropped just one set en route to the semi-final as she continues a remarkable comeback season after suffering a series of career-threatening injuries last year.
“Mental strength…how would you describe it?” -Muchová asked. “I always feel like I'm a pretty tough person in life. That helps with tennis. But yes, some days are better; some days not.
And he added: “I really don't want to say all the keys to tactics. Then I will focus on myself. She is very athletic. She never gives up. She runs for every ball. She doesn't make many mistakes. She has all the strokes.”
In the second semi-final of the day we will also see an American, with the crowd behind her, take on a European, while Keys takes on the Belarusian Sabalenka.
Keys, seeded No. 17, is enjoying a resurgence in the tournament, having lost in the final to Sloane Stephens in 2017.
She has already beaten three seeds on her way to the semi-finals, and most recently upset Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová in the quarter-finals as she continues to turn to the home crowd to inspire her victories.
“I think I have had a very good mentality going into the games. I’ve been trying to be maybe a little more emotionally balanced,” Keys said of her US Open success after her victory over Vondroušová.
It was her 26th career win over a top-10 player and sets up a heavyweight clash against Sabalenka, who is currently the in-form player in women's tennis and has not lost a set on her way to the semi-finals.
The Belarusian easily beat Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals to reach her fifth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal and continue her remarkable Grand Slam quarterfinal record: she has now won her first seven Grand Slam quarterfinal matches , second on the all-time list behind Chris Evert, who, surprisingly, won his first 48.
The 25-year-old will be crowned the new world No. 1 when the new rankings are published on Monday and, after claiming her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier in the year, Sabalenka is the favorite to win his second. of the year.
She is the first woman to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams in one year since Serena Williams in 2016 and says she has learned a lot from her previous results.
“I had a couple of really tough losses this year,” Sabalenka said. “But like I said, we're not losing, we're learning. “I’m just getting more experience and getting stronger.”
