Tennis-Sabalenka rested and ready for U.S. Open breakthrough

(Reuters) - After falling just short of a U.S. Open title last year, a fully fit and confident Aryna Sabalenka returns to New York hoping a mid-year break to focus on her health will allow her to break through at the year's final Grand Slam.

Sabalenka suffered a lower back injury this year, struggled with illness at the French Open where she lost in the quarter-finals, skipped Wimbledon with a shoulder injury and then sat out the Paris Olympics to get ready for the hard-court season.

The reigning twice Australian Open champion has since said the much-needed break allowed her to properly rehabilitate her injuries and has left her feeling fresh mentally.

She now finds herself coming off a dominant run in Cincinnati where she did not lose a set all week, including in a semi-final clash with world number one Iga Swiatek and in her convincing win over Jessica Pegula in the final.

Now the 26-year-old Belarusian heads to New York for the Aug. 26-Sept. 8 U.S. Open feeling confident given it is her favourite Grand Slam and she has performed well there before.

Sabalenka has reached the second week in four of her six U.S. Open main draw appearances, including each of the last three years as she made the semi-finals in 2021 and 2022 before finishing runner-up to Coco Gauff a year ago.

"I would say that I'm really playing great tennis," said Sabalenka. "Probably not like the best tennis I can play, but I'm definitely getting there.

"And with every match I play I feel better, better and better, and hopefully at the U.S. Open I can keep building the level and I can reach maybe an even higher level than I used to play."

There is little to suggest world number two Sabalenka is not poised to make another deep run in New York given she is one of the most physically dominating players in the world and has a game tailor-made for hard courts.

Sabalenka, who showcases a strong-willed mentality whenever she takes to the court, boasts not only a powerful serve but also aggressive baseline play and explosive groundstrokes and is perfectly comfortable at the net.

At last year's U.S. Open she dropped one set in her march to the final, where she broke Gauff three times en route to grabbing the first set before the American forced a decider in which her own game reached another level.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Hugh Lawson)