Melbourne, Jan 21 (UNI) Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed at the Australian Open, overcame a spirited challenge from 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday to secure her place in the semifinals, keeping her hopes of a third consecutive title alive.
In a dramatic encounter, Sabalenka claimed a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory after an intense contest where Pavlyuchenkova twice held the advantage in the deciding set. Despite struggling with the windy conditions, Sabalenka's resilience and aggressive play in the final set helped her fight back from a breakdown.
"I was just praying, trying to put the ball back in the court in these tough conditions," said the world No.1, reflecting on the challenging match.