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If you’re not a tennis fan, Aryna Sabalenka may be one of the best athletes on the planet you haven’t heard of. The Belarussian is a two-time Grand Slam Champion, winning the Australian Open the last two years.
Her style of play is based on, frankly, hitting the crap out of the ball from both the forehand and backhand wings, overpowering even the best women’s players in the world. When she’s not making unforced errors, she’s a nearly unbeatable player on hardcourts.
The 26-year-old is flying through the US Open bracket in Queens so far, having lost just one set through her first five matches. She’s into the semifinals on Thursday, when she will take on a good young American player in Emma Navarro.
Everyone that follows tennis knows that Aryna Sabalenka has a ton of power. But, I think casual fans would be stunned to know that she’s actually hitting her forehand harder than any player in the entire field at the US Open on either the Men’s or Women’s side.
'I saw my stats on my forehand and I actually can't believe it's that fast. It felt even kind of uncomfortable being at the top and hitting harder than guys' 🗣
Aryna Sabalenka on having the fastest average forehand at the US Open! pic.twitter.com/xHf1yMmRsT
— 365Scores (@365Scores) September 4, 2024
Now, there is some context to this. Sabalenka hits a really flat forehand that results in a lot of power but a lot of errors, as well. Plenty of women’s players also use that kind of forehand. Men’s players almost always have a heavy topspin forehand that allows their shots to penetrate deep into the court with plenty of margin of error coming from the higher trajectory.
Still, it’s an impressive achievement and it shows just how hard she is hitting the ball. Right now, she’s not making a lot of errors, either. That was on display in her 6-2, 6-1 demolition of top-ten player Qinwen Zhang in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
Aryna Sabalenka is hoping her unreal forehand can power her all the way to her first US Open title.