Girl power: World No. 2's forehand faster than men at U.S. Open

The ongoing U.S. Open is not the first instance of Sabalenka out-muscling her male counterparts. During her first-round tie against Erika Andreeva at this year's French Open, she recorded a forehand top speed of 78 mph, beating Sinner's mark of 75 mph. Those numbers turned heads since the clay courts at Roland-Garros typically produce the slowest-paced forehands among all four major events. 

Sabalenka continued to dish out lasers in her 6-3, 7-6 win over American Emma Navarro in the U.S. Open semifinal on Thursday. With the win, she clinched a berth in the final at Flushing Meadows for a second consecutive year, following her loss to Coco Gauff in last year's championship match.

The 26-year-old will again face an American, Jessica Pegula, in the final on Saturday. 

Sabalenka has often drawn comparisons to the great Serena Willims, largely due to her formidable groundstrokes and brute force. As such, it's only fitting that she's become the first player since Williams to make back-to-back finals at Flushing Meadows. She enters the match against Pegula as the overwhelming betting favorite to win her first U.S. Open title and third career grand slam title.