MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka’s quest for a third consecutive Australian Open title remains alive after she overcame a tough challenge from Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a hard-fought quarterfinal on Tuesday night.
With this victory, Sabalenka extended her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 19 matches. She now advances to face her close friend, No. 11 seed Paula Badosa, in the semifinals on Thursday.
Sabalenka had maintained a remarkable run of 25 consecutive sets won at the Australian Open—dating back to the 2023 final—when she took the first set against 2021 French Open runner-up Pavlyuchenkova.
However, the windy conditions in Rod Laver Arena made it difficult for Sabalenka to control her powerful shots. It wasn’t until the final stages of the match, when the third set was tied at 3-all, that she managed to find her rhythm and win the last three games to close it out.
“Honestly,” Sabalenka admitted, “I was just praying.”
Sabalenka claimed her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2023, followed by another in 2024, and secured her third major at the U.S. Open last September.
The last woman to win the Australian Open three years in a row was Martina Hingis, who achieved the feat from 1997 to 1999.
