Sabalenka wins 14th in a row in Australia; Rune, Dimitrov seal semis spots; Azarenka dispatches Ostapenko

BRISBANE: Aryna Sabalenka racked up a 14th straight win on Australian soil after dispatching Kasatkina 6-1, 6-4 to reach the final four of the Brisbane International. The defending Australian Open champion has dropped just nine games through three matches so far this week in her first appearance at the tournament.

She will next face No.8 seed Victoria Azarenka in what will be the pair’s fifth career meeting.

Two-champion Azarenka showcased her tennis prowess, securing a spot in her fifth semifinal out of six Brisbane International campaigns. The No.8 seed progressed after a marathon battle with No.3 seed Jelena Ostapenko. She required two-and-a-half hours to complete the 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win.

The 34-year-old survived a barrage of hard-hitting from the passionate Ostapenko, recording an impressive 16 aces, a total of 45 winners and 20 unforced errors against her opponent’s 38.

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina stormed into the semifinal after her Russian opponent Anastasia Potapova retired mid-way due to injury. The world No.4 Rybakina, who was leading 6-1 when her opponent retired, showcased her dominance in a match cut short by Potapova’s unfortunate abdominal injury.

Potapova received a medical timeout at 4-1 down after a hotly-contested first five games. The first three games went with serve before Rybakina broke for 3-1 after Potapova led 40-15. In the next game, the Kazakh held from 0-40. On the ensuing changeover, the Russian laid on the court as the physio attended to her abdomen region.

Rybakina will face 19-year-old Linda Noskova in the semifinals. Noskova came through the all-teenage battle with 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, winning 7-5, 6-3.

In the men’s singles, top seed Holger Rune of Denmark rode a fast start to down James Duckworth 6-2, 7-6(6) and reached the semifinals.

The 20-year-old Rune reeled off five games in a row to seize the opening set inside Pat Rafter Arena before digging deep to clinch a second-set tie-break and seal a one-hour, 46-minute triumph in his maiden ATP Head-to-Head clash with home favourite Duckworth.

The Dane will look to continue his impressive start to the year in his semifinal against Roman Safiullin, who defeated Matteo Arnaldi 7-6(4), 6-2.

Meanwhile, second seed Grigor Dimitrov also booked his spot in the last four with a straight-sets win. The Bulgarian overcame Rinky Hijikata 6-1, 6-4 to reach his fifth Brisbane semifinal.

By improving to 21-6 at the ATP 250, Dimitrov extended his lead as the player with the most wins in tournament history. Agencies

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