Sabalenka cruises through to Italian Open semi-finals
- Aryna Sabalenka advances to the semi-finals of the Italian Open with a dominant performance, showcasing her strength and skill on the clay courts.
Defeating ninth seed Jelena Ostapenko, world no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the Italian Open semifinals with ease.
The Belarusian defeated Latvian Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in just one hour and thirteen minutes.
In the Rome last four, Sabalenka, the two-time Grand Slam champion, will take on Danielle Collins, the 13th-seeded American who defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-4 6-3.
In the championship match, she might then go up against Iga Swiatek, the top seed in the world, a rematch of the thrilling victory the Polish player earned in the Madrid Open final earlier this month.
In the other semifinal match, Swiatek faces world no. 3 Coco Gauff, marking the first time since the 2013 French Open that the top three women’s players in the world have advanced to the semifinals of a WTA event of 250 level or above.
“With this amazing atmosphere and with this amazing support, that’s why I’m super motivated here and that’s why I always say that this is the dream tournament for me to win,” Sabalenka stated.
“I don’t have to think about staying focused since I truly enjoy playing here. I’m just having fun and trying my hardest to win every point I play, regardless of the outcome. I suppose that’s the secret.
With her victory over Azarenka, Collins, who is ranked 15th in the world, has now won 19 of her previous 20 games. Her lone defeat came in the Madrid Open fourth round against Sabalenka.
The 30-year-old declared in January that she will retire at the end of the current season. She won her maiden WTA 1000 championship in Miami in March.
Alexander Zverev, ranked third in the men’s draw, defeated American Taylor Fritz in straight sets to advance to the round of four.
Fiveth in the world After an early fall, Zverev sliced his right hand, but he got back up to win 6-4, 6-3, in an hour and twenty-nine minutes.
The 2017 Rome champion, who is now ranked #1 in the competition, is a German who hasn’t lost a set.
“I am incredibly joyful. One of the top players on clay this year has been Taylor, according to Zverev.
“It feels fantastic for me to get a victory like that, especially after the fall. Even though I’m still a little sore, I’m thrilled with the victory and will find out tomorrow after the adrenaline wears off.
Zverev’s opponent in the round of eight is Alejandro Tabilo, who defeated China’s Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 6-4.
The 26-year-old advanced to his first Masters 1000 semifinal after defeating Novak Djokovic in the third round.
In other places, In the first round of the Trophee Clarins Challenger Event in Paris, Simona Halep, the former world number one, retired due to injury. She was playing against McCartney Kessler.
Playing on clay for the first time in two years, Halep won the opening set 7-5 but gave up at 3-2 in the second.
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