Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka survived a stern challenge from No.27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach her third consecutive Australian Open semifinal, twice coming from a break down in the decider to advance 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in 1 hour and 53 minutes. The middle set was the first Sabalenka had dropped in Melbourne since the 2023 final.
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The result means Sabalenka becomes the first player since Maria Sharapova to reach 10 Grand Slam semifinals in her career. Sharapova hit the double-digit mark at the 2008 Australian Open, which would be the third of her five major titles.
Among players born after Sharapova, Sabalenka had previously been tied…