MELBOURNE, Australia: Elena Rybakina produced an impressive performance to beat Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday and reach the semifinals of the Australian Open. With the victory, Rybakina prevented the world No. 2 from securing a career Grand Slam.
The fifth seed Rybakina is two wins away from her second Grand Slam title after there was little separating the pair for two tight sets, before the Kazakh wrapped up a historic victory. She had previously won Wimbledon in 2022.
Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion, has also captured the US Open and Wimbledon. She was trying to become just the 11th woman in tennis history to win each of the sport’s four major championships at least once in her career, and Rybakina wanted to stop that.
The first set was close and took almost an hour. Neither player was serving well, and the rallies were hard-fought. Rybakina broke Swiatek’s serve in the final game, clinching the set 7-5.
The second was more of a runaway. Rybakina struck with confidence, breaking Swiatek twice early and racing out to a 3-0 lead. Her serve became infinitely stronger, with a couple of aces in particular, and she ended the match on an ace.
Following the match, Rybakina said she and Svitolina were very familiar with each other after playing against each other last season. She said that after improving her serve, she felt more relaxed and in control of the match.
Rybakina, a Russian-born player who now represents Kazakhstan, will next face the winner of an all-American quarterfinal between Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova. Neither player has won a Grand Slam title.
Pegula was a finalist at the US Open in 2024, and Anisimova was the runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.
Also Read:- India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National