the belarusian Victoria Azarenkaplayer number 24 in the world ranking, ended the American’s eight game winning streak Jessica Pegulathird seed, by defeating him 6-4 and 6-1 served to enter the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Azarenka’s next opponent is the Kazakh Elena Rybakina (22), where he kept an unfavorable face in the face of 0-1 after the reigning Wimbledon champion prevailed in the third round of the last edition of Indian Wells by 6-3 and 6-4.
Winner of the title in 2012 and 2013, Azarenka, 33 years old and mother of one son, took advantage of the insecurity on the serve of her rival and friend Pegula, who for the third time in a row remained in the gate of the semifinals. at the Australian Grand Slam.
The Belarusian won 68% of the points on his first serve, a statistic that revealed Pegula, 28, who showed a poor 50% in this section. The problems of the one from Buffalo were evident in the thirteen break opportunities he gave the Minsk-born tennis player, taking advantage of two in the first set and three in the second.
“It hurts to beat her because I always want the best for her,” Azarenka said about her opponent. “He’s been playing really well lately, so I knew he had to be there and seize the moment. It’s incredible to be in another Grand Slam semifinal,” he said of the player. Rod Laver Arena.
The player won over the public by referring to the legendary Australian tennis player who gave his name to the court and witnessed the match in the stands: “You want to play your best tennis in front of the best, so I hope you like it . , because I’ve tried”.
Azarenka wore the team shirt after her victory paris saint germain, his favorite team and also remembers his son Leo, who is a fan of the Paris team.
Pegula has stumbled on all four career occasions to get past the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam, twice in Australia, once at Roland Garros and once at the US Open.
After the loss of Pegula, the main favorite as the seed that remains in the draw is the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (5), in a tournament where the Polish Iga Swiatek (1), the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (2) and the French Caroline Si Garcia (4) will remain by the wayside in previous rounds.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
