Osaka’s comeback to continue? - US Open semi-finals live on Sky Sports this Thursday

The US Open women's semi-finals are here - and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Four stars. One shot at glory. Watch it all unfold live on Sky Sports.

A repeat of last year's final sees No 1 seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka face home favourite Jessica Pegula in the first semi-final, live from midnight on Sky Sports Tennis.

American Amanda Anisimova - fresh from avenging her Wimbledon humiliation to Iga Swiatek - faces a resurgent Naomi Osaka in the second semi-final in the early hours of Friday morning.

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Can Anisimova halt Osaka's statement comeback?

After a long hiatus from the sport, Osaka has returned with a statement run at the US Open, dispatching players such as Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova en route to the semi-finals.

She's rediscovered her rhythm on hard courts - the surface where she's won all four of her Grand Slam titles - and looks to extend her perfect major semi-final record on Thursday.

But in Anisimova, she faces an opponent with a comeback story of her own, having avenged her humiliating Wimbledon final defeat against Swiatek to reach the last four.

The American holds a 2-0 head-to-head record over Osaka, who is under no illusion about the task at hand but is relishing the chance to play without the weight of expectation.

"For me, she's always been one of the most talented players on tour," Osaka said. "I think no one wants to see her name next to theirs, especially with what she could potentially do. She's one of those players where you don't know where she's going to hit the ball.

"I didn't watch the Wimbledon final. Obviously, I saw the scoreline, and I saw how devastated she must have been. But I think to play Iga here now and to win on home soil is a really big achievement - credit to her."

"I have different feelings for all matches. Honestly, I was the most nervous for my first-round match against Daria Kasatkina. I don't know why - I just was. But for me, it's very strange: the deeper I go in a tournament, the less nervous I become. Unless it's a final, potentially."

Anisimova, meanwhile, is full of respect for her opponent's pedigree and resurgence.

"She's won four Grand Slams. She obviously knows the game very well and is very successful," she said. "She's a really strong hitter. She plays really well on the hard courts - we know that.

"I feel like she's really found her groove. She's put in a lot of work this past year. I've observed it, and I've seen it. She's really found her momentum here. She looks like she's enjoying it out there. She's always been a top player and one of the best."

Head-to-head

• Anisimova leads 2-0 in previous meetings, both in 2022 (Australian Open & Roland Garros).
• Osaka has never lost a Grand Slam semi-final, winning the title each time she's reached this stage.

Pegula hopes new perspective seals Sabalenka revenge

Jessica Pegula reached her first Grand Slam final at the 2024 US Open, falling in straight sets to Aryna Sabalenka, who claimed her maiden title at Flushing Meadows.

Despite leading 5-3 and serving for the second set, Pegula couldn't close it out as Sabalenka surged to victory.

Twelve months on, the two meet again - this time with Pegula embracing a fresh mindset and renewed appreciation for the run she had rather than dwelling on missed chances.

"It would be cool to be able to get revenge, obviously," Pegula said. "I didn't even remember the score, or it being that close, which was kind of funny, because after the final I was like, 'Wow, we should be in a third set right now.'

"I didn't serve well. I could have done better. I wasn't like, 'Oh, what a great match, I'm happy to be in the finals.' I literally walked off the court and told my coach, 'I didn't serve that well. My serve needs to get better. I didn't do this well, or I didn't do that well.'

"That's the mentality I have - I tend to look at how I can get better so quickly, which is good in a way. But coming into this year, the feedback and support from all the fans made me think: 'Wow, actually last year was pretty incredible.'

"So, this year I've come back with a different perspective, knowing that I wasn't playing well, to really enjoy the fact that this is pretty cool and that I've had really good results here, and I have so much support, so that's been really nice."

Head-to-head

• Sabalenka leads 7-2 in previous meetings, including four wins on hard courts.
• She defeated Pegula in straight sets at the 2024 US Open final.
• Pegula's two wins have come at WTA 1000 events - she is yet to beat Sabalenka at a Grand Slam.

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