Melbourne, Jan 21 (Representative) 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. Sabalenka started the match strongly, cruising through the first set in 31 minutes, as Pavlyuchenkova’s errors allowed the Belarusian to gain an early advantage. However, Pavlyuchenkova regrouped in the second, playing with increased aggression and forcing a decider after Sabalenka faltered.
The turning point came when Pavlyuchenkova, having broken Sabalenka early in the final set, allowed the momentum to slip away after a poor service game. Sabalenka capitalised, breaking back and ultimately serving out the match to clinch the win. “I wish I could have won in straight sets, but I’m happy to be through,” Sabalenka added, looking ahead to her upcoming semifinal against Spain’s Paula Badosa, who earlier upset Coco Gauff. This victory keeps Sabalenka on track to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win the Australian Open title three years running.