Aryna Sabalenka’s stranglehold over the Australian Open almost came to a shock end in the quarter-finals as Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova threatened to produce the upset of the tournament.
The two-time defending champion cruised to a first set lead, only to see the match turned completely on its head in the second, before she was able to steady in the third.
“Shaken but not stirred – Sabalenka is through to the semis,” Sam Smith said in commentary on Channel Nine.
“It was a battle royale. Things were looking decidedly dicey and the three-peat rather wobbly but Sabalenka proved just how tough she is.”
Sabalenka then backed up that gritty result with a straight-sets victory in the semi-finals, extending her remarkable winning streak in Australia to 20 matches.
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When was the last time Aryna Sabalenka lost at the Australian Open?
Sabalenka claimed her first Aus Open title in 2023 as she beat then-reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a thrilling final.
Her dream run into the decider in Melbourne saw her land her maiden grand slam title and proved to be a sign of things to come.
The 26-year-old noted how she didn’t want her Aus Open victory to be just a flash in the pan, so set about making tracks in Melbourne.
The big-serving crowd favourite proved utterly dominant during her title defence in 2024, brushing all aside as she went on to lift the trophy for the second time in as many years.
Sabalenka has been just as dominant this year after cruising to 24 set wins in a row before her tricky quarter-final meeting against Pavlyuchenkova.
Yet despite the considerable scare, the world No. 1 managed to fend off the threat and advance through to the semis where she triumphed over Paula Badosa.
In the final, she will take on the in-form Madison Keys.
The American will be looking to become the first woman since Kaia Kanepi to stop Sabalenka at the Aus Open.
The Estonian veteran claimed a thrilling three-set win in the fourth round over Sabalenka back in 2022.
Kanepi is one of just five women to beat Sabalenka on Aussie soil, with Amanda Anisimova, Ash Barty, Carla Suarez Navarro and Serena Williams also achieving the feat.
Williams delivered Sabalenka her most recent defeat at Rod Laver Arena in the fourth round of the tournament back in 2021.
Since that loss, she boasts a 90 per cent win record on the main court with her only other defeat there coming against Barty in the first round in 2018.
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