New Delhi: Aryna Sabalenka kept her Australian Open title defence alive with a battling win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the women’s singles quarterfinal at the Rod Laver Arena. The top seed Belarusian showed immense grit in the deciding set and fought from two breaks down to claim a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 over the 27th seed Russian.
The victory kept Sabalenka on course to win a third successive Australian Open title and a fourth Grand Slam crown. The Belarusian won her first Major at Melbourne Park in 2023, then added another last January, before swelling her tally to three Grand Slam trophies at the US Open last September.
Sabalenka eyes history
If Sabalenka manages to go all the way she will become the first woman to win the Australian Open three straight years after Martina Hingis who claimed wins at Melbourne Park from 1997 to 1999.
𝟭𝟵-𝟬 at Melbourne Park 😍
Aryna Sabalenka’s title defence is STILL ALIVE as she battles past Pavlyuchenkova’s challenge 6-2 2-6 6-3. #AusOpen • #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/AyJnkxpyo8
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2025
Sabalenka showed top form to take the opening set 6-2 but Pavlyuchenkova bounced back superbly to win the second set by a similar margin. But the top seed showed her class in the decider and after initial hiccups took control of the match and closed out the quarterfinal.
Pavlyuchenkova played remarkable tennis in the second set and produced a flurry of stinging groundstrokes and matched Sabalenka’s power. The Russian also showed off some talent with some stunning volleys, claiming eight of the first nine points she finished at the net.
Sabalenka extended her winning streak to 19 matches in a row at Melbourne Park and will take on 11th-seed Spaniard Paula Badosa, in the semifinals on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Badosa registered a surprise 7-5, 6-4 victory over World No.3 Coco Gauff in the first quarterfinal.
AUS Open 2025: The impressive victory kept Aryna Sabalenka on course to win a third successive Australian Open title and a fourth Grand Slam crown. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
