Aryna Sabalenka moves one step closer to defending her Australian Open title

Over the week-long run of the Grand Slam event in Melbourne, several players have taken center stage with shocking upsets and lightning-swift victories. However, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has reigned supreme, consistently holding her place at the top. The World No. 1 lost her streak of not dropping a single set in the tournament since the 2023 Australian Open final but kept her bid for the title alive in the quarter-final on Tuesday. No. 27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova pushed Sabalenka to the edge by winning the middle set against the formidable Belarusian. However, with a chance to complete a three-peat, it will take much more effort to stop Sabalenka in her quest to defend the Australian Open title.

Aryna Sabalenka claimed the 2024 Australian Open title without dropping a set, securing her second Grand Slam title. In the ongoing edition, Sabalenka maintained her streak of not dropping a set in Melbourne until she faced Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals. The much-lower-seeded player posed a significant threat but ultimately fell short as Sabalenka won the contest 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Pavlyuchenkova had defeated the likes of Laura Siegemund and Donna Vekic on her way to the final eight of the Grand Slam. Sabalenka, on the other hand, cruised past Sloane Stephens, Jessica Bouzas, Clara Tauson, and Mirra Andreeva.

Aryna Sabalenka edges past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the Australian Open quarter-final

Notably, the head-to-head record between the quarter-final seeds favored Pavlyuchenkova 2-1 owing to her victory in their last clash during the third round of Roland Garros 2021. Coming to the Rod Laver Arena, Pavlyuchenkova boasted her edge over Sabalenka in the Australian Open clash. She faced no break points, lost only three points on her first serve, and capitalized on two of her three break opportunities on Pavlyuchenkova’s serve. However, after dominating the opening set in just 31 minutes, the match seemed to shift out of the Belarusian's clutch. 

Aiming for her 39th career win over a Top 10 player and her second against a reigning World No.1, the 31st seed mounted a fierce comeback in the second set. Holding her ground from the baseline, Pavlyuchenkova smashed 10 winners while limiting herself to just four unforced errors. She surged ahead with a double break, helped by a flurry of stunning forehand winners. Though Sabalenka clawed one break back with a winner, Pavlyuchenkova produced an incredible drop volley, reflexed brilliantly from below her waist, to extend her lead to 5-2 and successfully served out the set.

The final set began chaotically with both players exchanging four consecutive breaks of serve in windy conditions. Eventually, they steadied with three routine holds. Serving to equalize at 4-4, Pavlyuchenkova faltered, committing two unforced forehand errors into the net and spraying a backhand long, allowing Sabalenka to gain a 5-3 lead. Serving for the match, Sabalenka made no errors, sealing victory with a strong service winner on her first match point.

"I mean, I wasn't [keeping my cool]," Sabalenka told following her hard-fought victory in the quarter-final. "I was all over the place. I'm really glad that I was able to keep fighting, keep trying, and I was able to turn around this match. It was really difficult one. I was just trying to figure out how to play in these conditions. I was struggling a lot with finding my rhythm, finding the solution in these conditions. It's not about being scared. It's about finding the way out. I was struggling not in the beginning, actually."

"In the second set I was struggling with finding the way, but then I found one way. Praying. I was just praying. No. I think the main solution was just to stay low and just try to put an extra ball back on that side and stay focused and play with the discipline," she added.

With this victory, Aryna Sabalenka has etched her name in history as the first player since Maria Sharapova to reach 10 Grand Slam semifinals. Meanwhile, before surpassing this record, Sabalenka was tied at nine semifinal appearances with Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep. Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, currently at six semifinal appearances, both have the chance to make it seven this week. Aryna Sabalenka now faces Paula Badosa in the semi-final who upset third-seed Coco Gauff earlier in the day. Moreover, the next quarter-final contests put Iga Swiatek against Emma Navarro and Madison Keys and Elina Svitolina.