REUTERS, New York

A first-time US Open women’s champion will be crowned on Saturday and world number one Iga Swiatek said all four semi-finalists deserve to be there.

Top seed Swiatek will meet Belarusian powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka, while in-form Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia battles tough Tunisian Ons Jabeur on Thursday with trips to the final on the line.

“It feels like we all earned it,” Swiatek said after her straight-sets quarter-final win over American Jessica Pegula.

No one is surprised to see the 21-year-old Swiatek in the mix. The Pole went on a blistering 37-match winning streak earlier this year before cooling off ahead of the New York Grand Slam.

Despite struggling in the earlier rounds she raised her game late on Wednesday, whipping forehands and playing excellent defence to see off Pegula.

Standing in Swiatek’s way is sixth seed Sabalenka, who showed her mettle by storming back from a set and 5-1 down against Kaia Kanepi in the second round, saving two match points along the way.

Garcia, seeded 12th, is enjoying a career renaissance and playing with confidence bordering on swagger after cruising to the semis without dropping a set.