We already know three semi-finalists for the first round of the 2023 Grand Slam. In Melbourne, Elena Rybakina (seeded n°22) and Victoria Azarenka (n°24) defied the predictions by beating respectively two players appearing in the Top 10, the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (n°17) and the American Jessica Pegula (n°3), in two straight sets (6-2, 6-4 and 6-4, 6-1).
In the men's draw, Karen Khachanov (n°18) got rid of the American Sebastian Korda (n°29), who gave up in the 3rd set (7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 3 -0).
The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas is on the court against the Czech Jiri Lehecka.
Double winner in 2012 and 2013, Azarenka created a sensation against a player who had so far left no set to her opponents: “I knew from the start that it would be difficult and that she would seize all her chances.
I executed my game plan perfectly and I'm happy to be in the semis,” commented the 33-year-old, who donned a PSG football shirt before answering questions on the court.
"You want to show your best tennis in front of the best."
🥹@vika7 with some kind words for @rodlaver!#AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/uHmS7dyzqm
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2023
Since her quarter-final in 2016, Victoria Azarenka had not passed the stage of the eighth in Melbourne, reached last year.
She was absent in 2017, 2018 and 2020, and had been eliminated in the first round in 2019 and 2021. She will face Kazakh Elena Rybakina on Thursday for a place in the final, 25th in the world and winner of the last Wimbledon: “I am very happy to reaching the semi-finals for the first time here.
I was nervous in the last game, but not as nervous as before the game.
So I'm very happy to have mastered my emotions and to have played very well,” commented the 23-year-old player.
The other two quarter-finals will oppose the Czech Karolína Plíšková (n°30) to the Polish Magda Linette next night, before the duel between the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (n°5) and the Croatian Donna Vekić.
In the men's draw, Karen Khachanov, semi-finalist of the last US Open, benefited from the abandonment of the American Sebastian Korda (31st), injured in the wrist.
"It's obviously not how I wanted the match to end," said the 26-year-old Russian, 20th in the world.
The game had been close up to a certain point.
He (Korda) had beaten my friend Daniil (Medvedev) in three sets and Hubert (Hurkacz) in five sets, so we know he is playing well.
“I hit a forehand in return for service, at the start of the second set, and afterwards, at times, I could no longer hold the racket,” said the American.
His next opponent could be Stefanos Tsitsipas, who won the first set against Jiri Lehecka.
But the poster of these quarter-finals remains of course the confrontation between Novak Djokovic (n ° 4) and the Russian Andreï Rublev (n ° 5), also on the night of this Tuesday to Wednesday.