Who is Sara Bejlek? 20-year-old stuns Sabalenka in Cincinnati Open run

Czech tennis player Sara Bejlek advanced to her first WTA 1000 semi-final at the Cincinnati Open by defeating American Madison Keys. Bejlek, who is currently ranked 35th in the world, has already won matches against three major champions in her journey to the last four, including world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round and Barbora Krejcikova earlier in the tournament.

She triumphed over Keys with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in the quarter-finals. A set down and trailing 3-1 in the second set, Bejlek won five of the next six games to equalize and then secured the match in two hours and 37 minutes by breaking Keys' serve in the decisive tie-break. Bejlek, speaking to the media, mentioned that her team had a motivational discussion a few weeks ago, which she believes has contributed to her improved self-belief and physical performance on the court.

Meanwhile, American tennis star Coco Gauff reached her third consecutive semi-final at the same event by defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2. Gauff revealed that she has started relying more on her net play, a tactic that she previously overlooked. She credits her coach Chris Evert for encouraging her to adopt this strategy, which has paid off in her recent victories. The US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, is scheduled to kick off in New York on August 30.