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Melbourne (AFP) – Belarusian Arina Sabalenka, ranked fifth in the world, reached for the first time in her career the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, the first of the four major tennis tournaments, on Monday, by defeating Swiss Belinda Bencic 7-5, 6-2.
Sabalenka, who reached the final price in Melbourne during the last three editions, has never surpassed this role previously.
The Belarusian reached the semi-finals of one of the major tournaments on 3 occasions, specifically in Wimbledon 2021 and the US Open 2021 and 2022.
The 24-year-old Belarusian said, “I am very happy with this victory and the level I presented,” stressing, “I am very happy” with her mental state, which has been her weak point since the beginning of her career on the yellow ball courts.
Bencic succeeded in breaking her opponent’s serve for the first time and advanced 4-2 in the first set.
However, Sabalenka responded quickly thanks to her serve, as she seemed more solid than the Swiss, and won 11 of the next 14 games to end the match on the impact of a successful strike on Bencic’s serve.
Sabalenka did not lose only one ball once morest her to decide one of the sets during the match, nor did she lose any group since the beginning of this year, which she opened with a victory in the Adelaide 1 tournament.
In the quarter-finals, Sabalenka set a date with Croatian Donna Vekic (64), who defeated Czech teenager Linda Frohvertova, 17-year-old and ranked 82nd, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
On the other hand, Czech Karolina Plishkova, the former world number one, did not find it difficult to reserve her ticket to the quarter-finals, by defeating China’s Zhang Shuai 6-0, 6-4.
The Czech, ranked 30th, continued her successful adventure in Melbourne with great confidence thanks to her strong serve, as she sent 12 aces to her opponent to settle the match in her favor once morest the 23rd seed.
“I thought I started very well, with great strength,” said Plishkova, who needed only 21 minutes to win the first set.
“But I was working on it, especially in the first set. I slowed down a bit in the second set, but she also started to play better. Maybe a little bit smarter.”
“But I’m glad I made it because the second group can go, I think, both ways.”
Plishkova, who missed the Australian Open last year due to a wrist injury, reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the 11th time in her career.
Plishkova, 30, also won 16 titles and reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park in 2019.
Plishkova, who did not lose a set in Melbourne, will meet Polish Magda Linette (45th in the world), who narrowly defeated Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, fourth, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.
© 2023 AFP
