Synopsis
In a thrilling match, Aryna Sabalenka triumphed over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to secure her spot in the Australian Open semifinals. The two-time champion came back twice in the final set to win 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, marking her 10th Grand Slam semifinal appearance.Key Takeaways
- Sabalenka reaches her third consecutive Australian Open semifinal.
- She has become the first player since Sharapova to achieve 10 Grand Slam semifinals.
- Sabalenka aims for a third consecutive Australian Open title.
- Pavlyuchenkova put up a strong fight in the second set.
- Sabalenka will face Badosa in the semifinals.
Melbourne, Jan 21 (NationPress) The two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka faced a tough challenge from the No. 27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, successfully advancing to her third consecutive Australian Open semifinal. As the top seed, Sabalenka overcame a couple of setbacks in the final set to win with scores of 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 53 minutes at Rod Laver Arena. This marks the first middle set Sabalenka has lost in Melbourne since her 2023 final.
This victory makes Sabalenka the first player since Maria Sharapova to reach 10 Grand Slam semifinals in her career, achieving this milestone at the 2008 Australian Open, which was the third of her five major titles.
With this win, Sabalenka is on course to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to clinch the Australian Open title for three consecutive years.
Initially, it seemed Sabalenka was headed for a straightforward victory as she dominated the first set, keeping Pavlyuchenkova pushed back with her powerful returns and precise groundstrokes. However, in an impressive second set, Pavlyuchenkova matched Sabalenka's intensity at the baseline, accumulating 10 winners against only four unforced errors, and she claimed the second set 6-2, equalizing the match against the world No. 1.
The final set commenced with four successive breaks of serve as both competitors struggled with their serves in the wind. Eventually, they found their rhythm and exchanged three straightforward holds. However, when serving to level at 4-4, Pavlyuchenkova faltered, committing two unforced errors on her forehand.
After a long backhand error, Sabalenka found herself leading 5-3 and serving for the match. She executed the final point flawlessly, hitting a service winner to convert her first match point, as reported by WTA. Sabalenka, aiming for her fifth Grand Slam final, is set to face first-time major semifinalist and No.11 seed Paula Badosa of Spain in the upcoming semifinal.
