Aryna Sabalenka moved into the US Open semifinals Wednesday, looking every bit the top player in the world while rolling to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Zheng Qinwen in just over an hour.
Sabalenka, who will rise from No. 2 to No. 1 in the WTA rankings next week after Iga Swiatek lost in the fourth round, has not dropped a set at Flushing Meadows and has ceded a total of 21 games through five matches.
She cruised through her quarterfinal in heat that approached 95 degrees and prompted a partial closing of the retractable Arthur Ashe Stadium roof -- normally used to block out rain -- to provide some additional protection from the sun for spectators and competitors.
One unintended result: The shadows can make it hard to see the tennis balls as they zip through the air.
Zheng, the No. 23 seed who defeated 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur in her previous match, said that dynamic bothered her Wednesday.
As for Sabalenka? The 25-year-old from Belarus said her training base in the United States prepared her well for the heat and the humidity, which rose above 50%.
"I mean, it was hot, but because I did my preparation in Florida -- I mean, what can be worse than Florida? I mean, in July and June, you know. Not, like, overall," Sabalenka said. "So I think that's really [helping] me today to stay strong and [not] really get tired because of the heat."
Sabalenka won 20 of the initial 24 points to race to a 5-0 lead after just 17 minutes. She improved to 7-0 in major quarterfinals as she seeks her second Slam trophy to go alongside the one she won at the Australian Open in January.
Sabalenka has made the past five Grand Slam semifinals and became the first woman to reach all four major semifinals in one season since Serena Williams in 2016.
"I just gave myself another opportunity to do better in the semis," Sabalenka said in her postmatch interview. "I still have things to do in New York. ... I'll think about being the world No. 1 after the US Open."
Zheng, a 20-year-old from China who reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal by taking out No. 5 seed Jabeur, fought off a match point with an ace. But she got just 41% of her first serves in play and won just three points against Sabalenka's first serve.
In Thursday's semifinals Sabalenka will meet reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic or 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys. The other women's semifinal will be No. 6 Coco Gauff against No. 10 Karolina Muchova; they won their quarterfinals Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.