Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka will contest the women’s final of the Australian Open after earning straight-set wins in their respective penultimate matches.
Rybakina, up first at the Rod Laver Arena, took care of two-time winner Victoria Azarenka 7-6(4) 6-3 before Sabalenka earned a 7-6(1) 6-2 win over Magda Linette to reach the summit clash of the Australian Open.
In a battle of attrition, Rybakina managed to break down Azarenka during a match that featured several momentum swings. After double-faulting on her very first serve, the Kazakh eventually grew into the game as she found her firepower.
After trading two breaks of serves, Rybakina saved three break points at 5-5 before momentum shifted again when Azarenka tightened up in the tie-break.
The Belarusian double-faulted to fall 4-2 behind, before sending a backhand long to concede two set points and fall into a one-set hole. Azarenka never recovered from the tie-break and her errors mounted in the second.
She dropped serve again in the second set and all but surrendered with a wild forehand to fall 5-2 behind.
Rybakina wobbled when serving out the match, coughing up three break points and opening the door for Azarenkam but any hopes of a comeback slipped away as she imploded on serve to lose the match.
Meanwhile, in the other semifinal, Sabalenka recovered from a slow start to ease past the unseeded Madga Linette.
The Belarusian was broken in the very first game before breaking back with two blistering backhands. She took the initiative in the tiebreak and never looked back from then on, breaking the surprise semifinalist early in the second to stroll to her 10th consecutive win in Australia
Sabalenka and Rybakina will contest the women’s final on Saturday.
