Unstoppable,
Aryna Sabalenka
entered the top four of the
Australian Open
for the second consecutive year and continues in the race to defend the title she won last year.
The Belarusian, number two in the world and, after the elimination of
Iga Swiatek
, a great candidate to celebrate in Melbourne, beat the Czech
Barbora Krejcikova
6-2, 6-3 and extended an impressive streak in this edition of the "big" oceanic event .
The current champion reached the semi-finals without giving up any set and became the first player to reach this stage in this way since
Serena Williams
in 2016 and 2017. In that last season, the American -already pregnant with her first daughter- She ended up becoming champion after overcoming the semis and the final also in straight sets.
Sabalenka is very close to equaling that achievement and joining the list of 19 who won Australia without losing sets, which includes, in addition to Serena, other great tennis players such as
Margaret Court
,
Martina Navratilova
,
Steffi Graf
,
Martina Hingis
,
Maria Sharapova
and
Victoria Azarenka
.
And seeing the journey she's had so far, it doesn't seem risky to think she'll do it.
The superiority he showed on the court is so great that in no match did he lose more than five games and in no set did he give up more than three.
She defeated the German
Ella Seidel
, coming from qualifying, 6-0 and 6-1;
by 6-3 and 6-2 against the Czech
Brenda Fruhvirtova
, also emerging from the qualifying phase;
by a double 6-0 against the Ukrainian
Lesia Tsurenko
(28th);
and by 6-3 and 6-2 to the American
Amanda Anisimova
, before eliminating Krejcikova.
The 25-year-old Belarusian also wrote her name alongside that of a living tennis legend in another particular statistic.
She because she became the second tennis player in the Open Era to win her first eight singles quarterfinals in a Major after
Chris Evert
, who won her first 48.
A sixth consecutive Grand Slam Semi Final.
A 12th consecutive win at Melbourne Park.
@SabalenkaA is looking formidable.
@Kia_Worldwide • #Kia • #MakeYourMove@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/EPBDXMtK3Z
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2024
The one born in Minsk will play her sixth consecutive semifinal in a tournament of this category.
She reached the semis at the
2022 US Open
and last year she established herself in Australia, playing the match prior to the final at
Roland Garros
and
Wimbledon
and losing the decisive duel in New York against local
Coco Gauff
, precisely her next rival in Melbourne.
The American, 19 years old and fourth favorite, did not have an easy match against the Ukrainian
Marta Kostyuk
, 37th in the ranking: she needed three hours and eight minutes to win 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (3-7 ) and 6-2 and advance for the first time to the semis of the first Grand Slam on the calendar.
"I love being able to face Coco again. After the US Open final last year, I really wanted revenge," Sabalenka said, recalling that 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to the American teenager.
Sabalenka reached the semis without losing sets and giving up no more than five games per match.
Photo EFE/EPA/MAST IRHAM
And he added: "They are always great battles against Coco, they are great fights. She moves very well. Everything you throw at her, comes back. So you need to build the point to win it. That's why she is such a tough opponent. I'm happy to play against her and I'm super excited to play that semifinal match."
Gauff had also reached the quarterfinals without losing sets, but she did not have an easy time against Kostyuk, one of the great surprises of the women's team.
"I didn't play my best tennis, but I am very proud of having overcome the challenge. In the warm-up I felt good, nothing like what happened on the court. I don't know what happened, I was missing something, I was far from the level of others days. It was a little frustrating, but I'm glad I won. I hope I got that usual bad game out of the way and can play better from now on," the American reflected.
Gauff had to work to get into the semis.
AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
"Being in the Grand Slam semifinals is a great achievement and, at the same time, a big problem. This is something that gives me confidence when it comes to seeing myself capable of controlling my nerves in very important stages of these tournaments," added who is the youngest player from her country to reach the semis in Melbourne since
Mary Joe Fernandez
in 1991.
Gauff - undefeated in 2024 with a 10-0 record (Auckland won at the beginning of the year) - leads the history of confrontations against Sabalenka by 4-2.
Last year, in addition to facing each other in
Flushing Meadows
, they met in the
Indian Wells
quarterfinals , with the Belarusian winning 6-4, 6-0.
Can Aryna repeat that straight-sets win to extend her surprising streak in Melbourne?
The protagonists of the other semi-final duel will come from the two matches that will be played on the 11th day of the tournament.
Starting at 10 this Tuesday, the Czech
Linda Noskova
(50th) will face the Ukrainian
Dayana Yastremska
(93rd and coming from qualifying).
And at 5:15 on Wednesday, the Chinese
Qinwen Zheng
(12th) will collide with the Russian
Anna Kalinskaya
(75th).