Kazakh fifth seed Rybakina was 3-0 down in the final set, with Sabalenka looking set for a fifth major singles trophy.

However, Rybakina won five successive games before completing a 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory to avenge her loss to two-time winner Sabalenka in the 2023 final.

This was US Open champion Sabalenka’s third defeat in her past four major finals, following disappointing losses in last year’s Australian Open and French Open showpieces.

The Belarusian had broken Rybakina’s impressive serve late in the second set and again early in the decider to take control in her bid for a third Australian Open title in four years.

But Sabalenka surrendered her advantage, tightening as the finish line drew closer and producing three unforced errors to allow Rybakina to break for a second time and hit the front.

The 26-year-old Rybakina then maintained her composure superbly to serve out the match with an ace and claim her second major trophy following her 2022 Wimbledon triumph.

Rybakina wins battle of big-hitters

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Elena Rybakina dropped just one set on her way to the Australian Open title

In a meeting between two of the biggest hitters on the women’s tour, Rybakina neutralised Sabalenka’s trademark power with clean ball-striking and clutch serving, before digging deep in the deciding set.

Sabalenka has spent 75 weeks at the top of the rankings and remains the dominant player in the women’s game – particularly on hard courts, with this her seventh consecutive major final on the surface.

But Rybakina has emerged as the Belarusian’s kryptonite after winning seven of their past nine hard court encounters.

Having appeared on course for an impressive comeback win, Sabalenka sat with her towel over her head as she contemplated that yet another final had slipped from her grasp.

Rybakina, meanwhile, was able to celebrate a hugely impressive run to the title, having also overpowered world number two Iga Swiatek and sixth seed Jessica Pegula on her way to the final.

She has now won her past 10 matches against fellow top-10 players and is the first player to claim the title by defeating three top-10 players in each round from the quarter-finals onwards since Naomi Osaka in 2019.

Rybakina is undoubtedly the form player on the WTA Tour, boasting more wins than anyone else since the end of Wimbledon last year (38) and losing just once in her past 21 matches.

How the Australian Open final was won – and lost

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Aryna Sabalenka covered her head with a towel after losing to Elena Rybakina

The final set aside, both players were dominant on serve, with only three of the first 19 games featuring break point opportunities.

Rybakina made her intentions clear with an immediate break on Rod Laver Arena, coming back from 0-30 down on the Sabalenka serve to register the perfect start.

The Kazakh dropped just three points across her opening three service games and dismissed two break points with successive, accurate first serves to hold for a 5-3 lead before closing out the opener.

Seeking an immediate response, Sabalenka applied further pressure at the start of set two but an unshakeable Rybakina served her way out of three break points.

There would be no escape, however, when Sabalenka forced three more break points with Rybakina serving to stay in the set, the top seed seizing her chance to force a decider.

It was there that the final truly ignited. Rybakina refused to panic as Sabalenka threatened to storm to victory with a five-game run from 4-4 in the second to 3-0 up in the third.

Sabalenka capitalised on a weak service game from her opponent, in which Rybakina made just one first serve, before resisting a break point to stretch her lead in the deciding set.

But Rybakina broke back two games later as the unforced errors began to seep in for Sabalenka, who allowed her emotions to get the better of her in last year’s Grand Slam final losses.

Energised by renewed belief, Rybakina reset on serve after Sabalenka spurned the chance to break for a 4-2 lead – and then struck again in the following game as the top seed faltered.

Serving for the championship, she did not blink when Sabalenka closed to 30-30, blocking out the pressure impressively and producing two huge serves to clinch victory.

Two-time winner Sabalenka overcame fluctuations in form and a hindrance call against her in the fourth game of the match to thrash Svitolina 6-2 6-3.

Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina then overcame American Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-6 (9-7) to seal the chance to avenge her 2023 final loss to Sabalenka.

Both players will begin Saturday’s tantalising final in red-hot form, with neither woman dropping a set in their six matches so far.

Sabalenka, bidding for a fifth Grand Slam singles title, is on an 11-match winning streak and has hit the most winners of any player during this year’s tournament (172).

Strong-serving Rybakina has lost just one of her past 20 matches – and it is the Kazakh world number five who edges their head-to-head on hard courts 6-5.

Sabalenka will also be searching for some redemption after last year’s final, when she felt she was “not brave enough” in a three-set loss to Madison Keys.

Hindrance call fuels impressive Sabalenka display

Ukraine’s 12th seed Svitolina had beaten two top-10 players to reach the semi-finals but was no match for Sabalenka’s powerful hitting on Thursday.

Svitolina always faced an uphill battle against Sabalenka, having lost their past five meetings.

Sabalenka’s stats – 29 winners to 15 unforced errors and dropping just 11 points on serve – show how she dominated the play, but more impressive was her mental focus.

An engaging, occasionally volatile figure on court, Sabalenka let her emotions get the better of her in both the Australian Open and French Open finals last year.

This year, with Svitolina serving at 2-1 down in the first set, Sabalenka was called for hindrance by umpire Louise Azemar Engzell for grunting during a rally.

The hindrance rule is meant to stop a player from interfering with an opponent’s ability to make a shot, either by shouting, making noise or dropping a ball from their pocket.

Engzell told Sabalenka she “did not make the normal sound” when she hit the ball and subsequently awarded the point to Svitolina.

Sabalenka asked for a video review but, with players unable to hear the audio, could only watch as Engzell replayed the footage and stayed with her decision.

The Belarusian was unimpressed, aiming a sarcastic thumbs down at the umpire and offering a few choice words to her team, but she was able to reset quickly.

Sabalenka subsequently broke Svitolina’s serve and then won four of the next five games to take the first set.

After a dreadful service game handed an immediate second-set break to Svitolina, Sabalenka glared at her team, stomped to her seat and then broke back at the first opportunity.

She saved another break point on her way to a 5-2 lead before fittingly closing out victory with a forehand winner.

Discussing the hindrance call, Sabalenka said: “That’s actually never happened to me. I think it was the wrong call, but whatever.

“It actually benefitted my game. I was more aggressive. So if she ever wants to do it again, I want to make sure that she’s not afraid to. Go ahead, call it. It’s going to help me.”

Rybakina sets up chance for revenge

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Elena Rybakina has hit the most aces of any player during this year’s tournament (41)

Rybakina is through to her first major final since Sabalenka produced a three-set comeback win to lift her first Grand Slam trophy in Melbourne three years ago.

The Kazakh fifth seed will relish the opportunity of a rematch, having won each of her last nine matches against fellow top-10 players, including world number two Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals and now sixth seed Pegula.

Rybakina appeared set to make serene progress to the final after polishing off the first set with an assured forehand winner and maintaining momentum by striking with a break early in the second.

A rare moment of encouragement for Pegula was short-lived as Rybakina responded to a first loss of serve by breaking back immediately and serving her way to a 5-3 lead.

But there were further twists to come as Pegula escaped three match points on serve before capitalising on a poor game from Rybakina to level at 5-5 and tee up a dramatic conclusion.

Rybakina once again reset impressively to create a second chance to serve out victory, only for a resurgent Pegula to force a tie-break.

In keeping with the preceding games, the topsy-turvy tie-break swung back and forth, but Rybakina held her nerve through two set points and clinched her fourth match point with a backhand winner.

No player on the WTA Tour boasts more wins than Rybakina since the end of Wimbledon last year (37), with the only defeat in her past 20 matches coming against Karolina Muchova in Brisbane earlier this month.

World number one Sabalenka said her mentality is “trophy or nothing” after overpowering rising American star Jovic 6-3 6-0.

The 27-year-old Belarusian has a favourable 5-1 head-to-head record against Svitolina – but she will be wary after the Ukrainian dismantled Gauff 6-1 6-2.

A despondent Gauff served five double faults, made 26 unforced errors, hit just three winners and smashed her racquet in the players’ area after the loss.

Four-time major singles champion Sabalenka has made the semi-final stage at 14 of the past 17 majors she has contested.

She has become only the third women’s player to reach eight consecutive singles semi-finals at Grand Slams in the past 38 years, after Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis.

“I think that it’s unbelievable what I was able to achieve,” Sabalenka said.

“What’s really helping me to be there all the time is the focus that I’m having.

“Focusing on the right things definitely helps a lot with the consistency.”

‘Trophy or nothing’ mentality for Sabalenka

Sabalenka has reached this year’s semi-finals at Melbourne Park without dropping a set, taking her winning streak at the start of 2026 to 10 matches and 20 consecutive sets.

Having lost two Grand Slam finals last year – first in Melbourne and then at the French Open – Sabalenka defended her US Open crown in September and is the heavy favourite to regain her Australian Open title on her most successful surface.

Sabalenka, who has won 19 of her 22 career titles on hard courts, said: “I think every player, when they get to the tournament, is trophy or nothing.

“It’s always in the back of your mind that, obviously, you want to win it. But I’m trying to focus on the right things and trying my best in each match, each point, each game, each set. That’s my mentality.”

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 but lost last year’s final to Madison Keys

Sabalenka’s quarter-final against the 18-year-old Jovic was played in intense heat exceeding 40C, with the Australian Open’s heat stress scale hitting the cut-off mark shortly after the conclusion of their match.

The roof was closed on Rod Laver Arena as Sabalenka conducted her post-match interview and will stay shut for the day’s remaining matches

Jovic described Sabalenka, who has worked on controlling her emotions on-court to achieve consistency at the sport’s biggest tournaments, as “very inspiring”.

“I think the way she’s been able to use all the negative things that have happened to her and turned them into motivation and fuel to be better is amazing,” Jovic said.

World number one Sabalenka overpowered rising American star Jovic 6-3 6-0 and awaits either third seed Coco Gauff or Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals.

The 27-year-old Belarusian, a four-time major singles champion, has made the semi-final stage at 14 of the last 17 majors she has contested.

Sabalenka is only the third women’s player to reach eight consecutive singles semi-finals at Grand Slams in the past 38 years, after Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis.

“I think that it’s unbelievable what I was able to achieve,” said Sabalenka.

“What’s really helping me to be there all the time is the focus that I’m having.

“Focusing on the right things definitely helps a lot with the consistency.”

Sabalenka has reached this year’s semi-finals in Melbourne without dropping a set, taking her winning streak at the start of 2026 to 10 matches and 20 consecutive sets.

Having lost two Grand Slam finals last year – first in Melbourne and then at the French Open – Sabalenka defended her US Open crown in September and is the heavy favourite to regain her Australian Open title.

Sabalenka, who has won 19 of her 22 career titles on hard courts, said: “I think every player, when they get to the tournament, is trophy or nothing.

“The mentality is the same, and it’s always in the back of your mind that obviously you want to win it.

“But I’m trying to shift my focus on the right things and just trying my best in each match, each point, each game, each set. That’s my mentality.”

It was the second consecutive round in which Sabalenka faced a teenage opponent, having previously beaten 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko.

“These teenagers were testing me in the last couple rounds. Don’t look at the score. It wasn’t easy at all,” she said.

Sabalenka’s quarter-final against the 18-year-old Jovic was played in intense heat exceeding 40C, with the Australian Open’s heat stress scale hitting the cut-off mark shortly after the conclusion of their match.

The roof was closed on Rod Laver Arena as Sabalenka conducted her post-match interview and will stay shut for the day’s remaining matches

Jovic described Sabalenka, who has worked on controlling her emotions on-court to achieve consistency at the sport’s biggest tournaments, as “very inspiring”.

“I think the way she’s been able to use all the negative things that have happened to her and turned them into motivation and fuel to be better is amazing,” Jovic said.

Kostyuk had beaten top 10 players Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova on her way to the final but was no match for the sheer power of the US Open champion.

Sabalenka is determined to win back the Australian Open title she relinquished last year, and her performance in the fierce Brisbane heat suggests she will be hard to beat at Melbourne Park this month.

“Thank you to my team for handling me. I’m really the toughest one to handle, and you guys are the toughest people in the world if you can handle me,” she told the crowd before directing a comment at partner Georgios Frangulis in the stands.

“Thank you to my boyfriend. Hopefully, soon I’ll call you something else, right? Let’s just put a bit of extra pressure on, right?”

Sabalenka overpowers Kostyuk

Sabalenka raced off to a 3-0 lead in the opening set before coming a bit unstuck as her first serve deserted her and her 23-year-old opponent feasted on her second.

There were the familiar hangdog expressions as Sabalenka raised her eyes to the skies in reaction to spraying a shot high and wide, but it did not last for long.

Rallying at 3-3, Sabalenka reduced the number of wild swings and heaped the pressure on her 26th-ranked opponent with the sheer power and accuracy of her strokes.

She quickly wrapped up the opening set and was soon 3-0 up in the second after again taking Kostyuk’s first service game.

There was no way back for Kostyuk this time, and she faced a real battle just to hold her serve three times before Sabalenka served out to secure her 22nd WTA title, sealing the deal when her opponent netted a return on her first championship point.

Kostyuk said her thoughts were with the people back home in her war-torn country.

“I play every day with a pain in my heart, and there are thousands of people who are without light and warm water,” she said.

“Right now it’s minus 20 degrees [Celsius] outside, so it’s very, very painful to live this reality every day. It’s very hot here in Brisbane, so it’s difficult to imagine this, but my sister is sleeping under three blankets because of how cold it is at home.”

Sabalenka will be gunning for a third Australian Open and fifth major title at the year’s first Grand Slam, which starts on January 18.

Top seed Sabalenka successfully defended her title to take her Grand Slam tally to four.

The battle between two of tennis’ hardest-hitting, biggest-serving women boiled down to unforced errors as Sabalenka kept them to 15 compared to 29 from the racket of her opponent.

Playing in only her second major final, New Jersey-born Anisimova had the partisan fans at the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium on her side but could never hang onto the momentum.

Sabalenka had ice in her veins with just four unforced errors in the first set, converting all three break points she set up as she drowned out the noise from the home crowd.

Sabalenka was up a break in the second set but could not close it out as she gave Anisimova a break point chance with a fluffed smash in the 10th game and the American converted.

But the tiger-tattooed Belarusian dug in her claws in the tiebreak, wrapping up the match with an unreturnable serve as Anisimova was left in tears yet again after the heartbreak of her 6-0 6-0 drubbing in the Wimbledon final two months ago.

With a powerful style translating across court surfaces, the world number one has made 12 semi-final appearances in her past 13 major tournaments – with the latest coming when she faces Jessica Pegula at the US Open on Thursday.

But here’s the kicker – Sabalenka’s tendency to combust at a critical juncture means only three of those have resulted in titles.

None of the 27-year-old Belarusian’s runs at this year’s majors have ended with the trophy.

In the Australian Open final, French Open final and Wimbledon semi-finals, an erratic level has led to devastating defeats.

Sabalenka’s last major trophy came when she beat Pegula in the New York final 12 months ago and, in a bid to get over the line again, she has brought 10-time doubles Grand Slam champion Max Mirnyi into her team.

“Everything fluctuates in life,” Mirnyi, speaking after Sabalenka’s practice at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday, told BBC Sport.

“We’re not machines, we’re not robots, right? As good as some of the professionals are in their fields, they’re still human.

“It comes down to being good, but not always perfect. A tennis match is very tough to make perfect.

“But it’s OK – she’s getting to the latter stages of Slams consistently, which makes us believe she is putting herself in the position time and time again to win it.”

When Sabalenka cannot find a way to win – particularly in the biggest moments – she admits it is because she is known to “lose control”, mentally and emotionally.

In Melbourne, it was frustration at being unable to cope with Madison Keys’ destructive power.

At Roland Garros, it was fury at hitting 70 unforced errors as Coco Gauff fought back.

At Wimbledon, it was fear at not matching Amanda Anisimova’s bravery.

“I think it’s good she is emotional. But it’s about having control over those ups and downs,” Mirnyi said.

“As she gets older she gets more experienced, she will advance more and more in that department – it’s natural when you’re younger and more emotional to have more outbursts.

“Here she has been very comfortable [emotionally] and is confidently progressing in all facets of the game.”

Blessing or curse? Sabalenka keeping sharp after extra day off

One area where Sabalenka has remained solidly composed recently is a tie-break situation.

The three-time major champion has won her past 17 tie-breaks, including two in New York to reach the last four without dropping a set.

There could be another factor – mentally and physically – which comes into play when she faces American fourth seed Pegula in Thursday’s first semi-final.

Sabalenka has not played since Sunday, after injured quarter-final opponent Marketa Vondrousova withdrew less than two hours before Tuesday’s match.

Can a walkover be a blessing and provide a recharge? Or a curse because it ruins rhythm?

“It can be tricky,” former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli said on Sky Sports.

“That’s why every single person in her team has to play that role of making sure the body is functioning properly and making sure her mind is there.”

In a bid to avoid any ring-rust, Sabalenka and her team have been hitting the practice courts hard.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Sabalenka added Mirnyi to complement her long-time coach Anton Dubrov (left) and hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski (second left)

After discovering Vondrousova’s misfortune, they spent about an hour practising on Tuesday evening to simulate a match scenario.

“I just wanted to move and throw the energy I had,” said Sabalenka.

“I wanted to sweat and pretend it was an activity, or a match or something.”

Sabalenka returned to the warm-up courts on Wednesday lunchtime, going through what she would class as a ‘normal’ session on the days between matches.

An intense 45-minute practice contained a lot of movement and work in different areas of her game – defending, attacking, serve returns – but there was also time for fun.

During serving drills Sabalenka hit spots between the legs of Mirnyi and fitness trainer Jason Stacy.

“As a tennis player you’re taught to have to wait around and deal with these conditions,” said Mirnyi.

“She knows how to handle these situations, she’s been in them before and it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Anisimova has ‘belief’ as she prepares for Osaka

If Sabalenka loses to Pegula, eighth seed Amanada Anisimova will have the opportunity to set up the first all-American women’s US Open singles final since 2017.

But she faces a rejuvenated Naomi Osaka – a two-time champion – in Thursday’s second semi-final.

Anisimova was overcome by stage fright when she reached her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last month, losing 6-0 6-0 in only 57 minutes against Poland’s Iga Swiatek.

But the 24-year-old American avenged that chastening experience by beating Swiatek in the New York quarter-finals on Wednesday.

“It’s the farthest I’ve gone by far at the US Open and it’s extremely special,” said Anisimova, who had previously won only three of her eight matches at Flushing Meadows.

“I have that belief in myself and that confidence that I’m able to play at the top level.”

World number one Sabalenka was set to play unseeded Czech Vondrousova in Tuesday’s night session in New York.

But the 2023 Wimbledon champion, whose career has been decimated by injuries, pulled out less than two hours before they were due to take to the court.

“So sorry for Marketa after all she’s been through,” Sabalenka wrote on social media.

“She has been playing amazing tennis and I know how badly this must hurt for her.”

Vondrousova had a pre-match practice session but stopped it early, hunching over at the baseline before being consoled by her team.

The world number 60 was later seen with heavy strapping on her left leg as she walked through the Flushing Meadows players’ area.

“I tried my best to take to the court today but, after consultation with the tournament doctor, I decided not to risk aggravating the injury,” Vondrousova said in a statement.

“I appreciate all the support and apologise to the fans who were looking forward to the match.”

American fourth seed Pegula swept Barbora Krejcikova aside 6-3 6-3 to advance to the last four for the second year in a row.

Czech Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, represented a dangerous opponent after recovering from a set down and saving eight match points against Taylor Townsend in the previous round.

But an impressive Pegula, who is yet to drop a set here, suffered no such scares in a serene performance.

“I feel really comfortable. It’s crazy to feel this comfortable on the biggest court in the world with the craziest crowd and the best players,” she said.

“Ten years ago I never thought I’d be good at this – but I guess I am.”

‘Solid’ Pegula makes light work of Krejcikova

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Jessica Pegula was runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 US Open

Pegula arrived in New York in poor form, winning just two matches in her previous four tournaments and losing in the first week of a major four times in six appearances.

While she brushed away the cobwebs with routine wins over Mayar Sharif, Anna Blinkova, Victoria Azarenka and Ann Li, the quarter-finals presented a different challenge.

Pegula has previously struggled at this stage – last year’s run to the US Open final was her first success in the last eight of a Grand Slam singles draw after six defeats.

But Pegula was unruffled by her 1-6 record, capitalising on a slow start from Krejcikova to race into a 3-0 lead, including breaking to love in the second game.

She dominated the baseline exchanges, hitting deep groundstrokes to trap her opponent at the back of the court and regularly attacked the net to keep her opponent off balance.

Although Krejcikova pulled it back to 4-3, she was left to rue a poor serving performance, with a double fault at 40-30 opening the door for Pegula to break again in the eighth game and then close out the set.

Krejcikova’s serving struggles – winning just 28% of points on her second serve in the opener – continued and a pair of double faults at the start of the second set gifted Pegula an early break.

Pegula was not without her own service wobbles, throwing away a double break lead in the sixth game as Krejcikova sniffed another unlikely comeback.

But she maintained her composure and, a seventh double fault of the afternoon from Krejcikova brought up match point – which Pegula seized at the first attempt.

“I think I’ve been playing some really good tennis. I’ve been playing really solid and having good starts,” Pegula said.

“She had a couple of really good returns when I was serving at 4-1 and we all saw what she did against Taylor, so I’m happy that we’re done.”

Top seed Sabalenka secured a 6-2 7-6 (7-2) victory over 2021 runner-up Fernandez in Friday’s night session at Flushing Meadows.

Claiming the second set by the deciding first-to-seven method was Sabalenka’s 18th consecutive winning tie-break.

The 27-year-old Belarusian continues her quest to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to achieve back-to-back titles in New York.

“When I get to the tie-break I know that there is no time for doubts and I just have to go for my shots,” Sabalenka said.

“I’m just reminding myself that I have to trust my game. I have a pretty good feeling.

“I’m trying to stick to the plan of the game, and trying to stay aggressive and put as much pressure as I can on my opponent.”

Sabalenka’s focus also did not waver as the crowd on Louis Armstrong Stadium erupted at a change of ends – when they saw a wedding proposal on the big screen.

“It was a very sweet moment, but I was just trying not to start smiling because it’s very cute. I was just trying to keep focusing on my game,” said the three-time major champion.

With a smile, she added: “I don’t want this kind of proposal. But I looked at my boyfriend. No pressure.”

Next Sabalenka goes on to face Spanish surprise package Cristina Bucsa.

Bucsa, 28, reached the fourth round of a major for the first time, fighting back to knock out Belgian 19th seed Elise Mertens in a 3-6 7-5 6-3 victory.

Meanwhile, top-10 seeds Jasmine Paolini and Emma Navarro saw their title bids ended by a pair of Czech former Wimbledon champions.

Marketa Vondrousova, who won at the All England Club in 2023, beat Italian seventh seed Paolini 7-6 (7-4) 6-1, while her successor Barbora Krejcikova saw off American 10th seed Emma Navarro 4-6 6-4 6-4.

Pegula holds off Azarenka fightback to win

American Jessica Pegula had to dig deep to beat Victoria Azarenka in the US Open third round and keep alive her hopes of winning a career-first Grand Slam on home soil.

In a 6-1 7-5 victory, 2024 finalist Pegula cruised through the first set before former world number one Azarenka fought back valiantly despite struggling with a leg injury.

Meanwhile, Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini suffered a surprise 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 defeat by world number 60 Marketa Vondrousova.

Paolini was beaten in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon last year, but has failed to progress beyond the fourth round at any Slam this year.

Pegula, who suffered a heartbreaking defeat by Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s New York final, will face either her compatriot Ann Li or Australia’s world number 126 Priscilla Hon in the fourth round.

“I just tried to focus on going back to my strategy, things that went well in the first set,” said the 31-year-old when asked how she arrested her second-set slide.

“I thought I moved and scrambled really well, I wanted to make the match physical.

“My results haven’t been too amazing the last couple of months, so to be able to turn it around was awesome.”

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Pegula has won all three of her matches at the US Open in straight sets

The fourth seed produced three aces and 10 winners in an opening set in which Azarenka committed four double faults and won just 36% of her first serves.

Yet the 36-year-old two-time Grand Slam winner looked her old self in the second set, as she broke serve and then saved a break point to solidify her lead.

However, three consecutive breaks followed as mistakes crept into both players’ games.

Azarenka saved three break points before Pegula converted the fourth, before the American made two glaring forehand misses after double-faulting to hand control back to the Belarusian.

The pendulum swung back in Pegula’s favour one final time as she broke in the final game to claim a place in the last 16.

“Obviously she picked up her level in the second set and I just thought she started serving really well, she had a bunch of aces to get herself out of those return games, and she’s always a great returner which puts the pressure on your first serves,” Pegula said of Azarenka.

“We train together a lot in Florida, so we know each other’s game really well. I could tell she was struggling a bit physically, so I wanted to keep her moving and play aggressive.”

The Kazakh dominated the opening set and racked up 11 aces against the world number one before sealing her victory in 74 minutes.

“I’m happy with the serve. It was the key today,” Rybakina said.

“I served really well. If she had been serving well it would have been a totally different match. It was also intense from the baseline. I just hope to continue like this.”

Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon winner, will now face this year’s All England Club champion in the last four – as Iga Swiatek beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-4.

Poland’s Swiatek, ranked third in the world, was always in charge against the Russian, who appeared hampered by a calf problem and saved four match points in the penultimate game.

However, Swiatek prevailed to move into her fourth WTA 1,000-level semi-final of the season.

“I just played my game. It was not easy but I’m happy that I stayed solid and kept my intensity,” said the Pole.

French Open champion Coco Gauff is out after an error-strewn performance in her three-set loss to Italian Jasmine Paolini.

Gauff took the first set but hit 16 double faults, allowing Paolini to break her serve eight times on the way to a comeback 2-6 6-4 6-3 win.

Seventh seed Paolini, who overcame a twisted ankle in the third set, will face Veronika Kudermetova in the semi-finals.

American Anisimova, the 13th seed, waved and blew kisses to the crowd after securing a remarkable 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory on a blazing hot day on Centre Court.

The 23-year-old saved 11 of the 14 break points she faced to seal her place in a maiden Grand Slam final, converting her fourth match point of a gruelling contest lasting two hours and 35 minutes.

“This doesn’t feel real, I was absolutely dying out there,” she said.

“I don’t know how I pulled it out. To come out on top today and be in the final of Wimbledon is so incredibly special.”

Sabalenka has twice suffered heartbreak in major finals this year – losing in Australia to Madison Keys and then in Paris to Coco Gauff.

This time she will not even feature in Saturday’s showpiece, having played in the past three Grand Slam finals.

Anisimova was a tipped to win Grand Slam titles as a teenager.

As a 17-year-old she reached the 2019 French Open semi-finals, stunning defending champion Simona Halep and Sabalenka along the way.

Four years later, Anisimova took a break for her mental health for about seven months.

The Wimbledon final was likely not on her radar. At least not yet.

A run to the final of Queen’s, where she lost to Tatjana Maria, set her up well for a good run at the All England Club but few would have betted against the power, and experience at this point in a major, of Sabalenka.

But against Anisimova, it quickly became apparent that simply overpowering her opponent – as she has done so effectively numerous times – was not going to work.

Anisimova moved well, anticipated well and, crucially, returned superbly, particularly on the backhand.

The two could barely be separated until an intense game at 5-4 on Sabalenka’s serve featuring six deuces was gifted to Anisimova after an untimely double fault from the three-time major champion.

The heat played its part in a dramatic encounter and Sabalenka twice handed out water bottles and ice packs to spectators who had fallen ill.

After more exhausting tennis in the second set, it was again a double fault that swung the momentum as Sabalenka broke at 3-3, having coaxed Anisimova into a couple of mistakes.

Set points swiftly followed but it was never going to be straightforward and Anisimova hung on in a tough service game to save four and force Sabalenka to serve it out.

An immediate break of serve in the third set teed up the potential for Sabalenka to assert some dominance, but a scruffy service game followed and Anisimova won the next four games to take a decisive lead.

She held two match points at 5-4 in her quarter-final match before finding herself in a tie-break, and there was a glimmer of those nerves again as Sabalenka earned three break points while Anisimova served for the match.

But grit and determination powered Anisimova through and she recovered to take the match at the third opportunity.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka’s pursuit of a first Wimbledon final and first major away from the hard courts goes on.

Swiatek makes statement with dominant win

Image source: PA Media

Image caption: Swiatek is the first Polish player to reach the women’s singles final since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2012

Anisimova will now likely have to produce a similar performance if she is to win a first Grand Slam title, with Swiatek looking dominant in her 6-2 6-0 win against Belinda Bencic to reach a maiden Wimbledon final.

These two played in an epic fourth-round match at Wimbledon two years ago, with Swiatek coming back from the brink by saving two match points to win.

But this was anything but close as Swiatek powered into her sixth Grand Slam final, and an ominous sign for her opponent is that she has won all five of those she has played in before.

“I am just super excited and proud of myself,” she said.

“Tennis keeps surprising me. I thought I’d experienced everything before but I didn’t experience playing well on grass.

“I feel with my movement and I am serving really well and it is working.”

Swiatek looked focused and composed from the moment she arrived on court with her headphones on, revealing afterwards that she listens to AC/DC to motivate her for her matches.

It clearly worked as Swiatek dropped just two games and wrapped up the win in just 74 minutes.

She set the tone from the outset, breaking Bencic’s serve at the first time of asking, although the unseeded Swiss hurt her knee as she extended her leg awkwardly making a return.

A delay because of a medical issue in the crowd gave Bencic time to recover and, although her movement initially seemed a bit stiff, she soon got into her flow.

There was little Bencic was doing wrong but she was simply facing an opponent who was playing better and a deft volley at the net helped seal a second break for Swiatek and the first set.

The Pole only dropped two points behind her first serve in the opener but back-to-back double faults in the first game of the second set were a concern, but she recovered to secure the hold.

Swiatek then immediately broke Bencic’s serve and with it her resolve it seemed as she raced through the remaining games to progress.

Title favourite Sabalenka had to twice come back from a break down in the deciding set to beat the 37-year-old German 4-6 6-2 6-4.

Sabalenka has reached the final of the past three majors and, with most of her rivals falling in the first week of SW19, she has an incredible chance of reaching Saturday’s showpiece.

But few would have predicted the scare that Siegemund – who had previously never gone beyond the second round in singles here – came within touching distance of completing.

World number 104 Siegemund, more noted for her doubles prowess, drove Sabalenka to distraction with her slices, brilliant returning and slow pace of play.

It took all of Sabalenka’s grit and determination to hang in and eventually advance after two hours and 54 minutes.

“After the first set I was looking at my box and thinking, ‘book the tickets, we are about to leave’,” Sabalenka, 27, said.

“I had to make sure I didn’t show I was annoyed by her – even if I was slightly, I didn’t want to give her that energy.”

Belarusian Sabalenka will face 13th seed Amanda Anisimova for a place in a first Wimbledon final after the American beat Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 7-6 (11-9).

There was barely any part of the match on a sun-drenched Centre Court that was enjoyable for Sabalenka.

Siegemund previously described her own game style as annoying, and the frustration was written all over Sabalenka’s face as she spent nearly three hours chasing down drop shots and slices.

There were helpless looks towards her box, chuntering when she missed a vital point and a huge roar when she finally got the best of her opponent.

But Sabalenka has said she is making a conscious effort to stay calmer on court – and it is credit to her that she never lost control or gave up.

She said afterwards that she had learnt from her French Open final loss to Coco Gauff, adding: “I think there’s a big possibility that I would have lose this match if I didn’t learn that lesson.

“I’m really proud that I handled myself really well and didn’t repeat the same mistake I did at the French Open.”

‘Tough but beautiful’ win for Sabalenka

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Aryna Sabalenka is into a third Wimbledon semi-final

Nothing should take away from how brilliant Siegemund was. She stepped forward to the Sabalenka serve, taking it on early, and chopped her way through her opponent’s huge groundstrokes.

Sabalenka held serve just once in the opening set – and even that required three deuce games – and quickly found herself a double break down.

She rescued one as Siegemund served for the first set at 5-2 but slapped a return into the net to concede the opener in 57 minutes.

Sabalenka immediately left the court to reset herself and it seemed to have worked. She broke straight away for a 2-0 lead but, visibly unsettled, conceded it in the next game.

The match could have slipped away in Sabalenka’s next service game as she was taken from 40-0 to deuce – but roared on by the crowd, she held, then won four games in a row to force a decider.

An early break to love in the third set – secured on a brilliant passing winner from Siegemund – looked to have rattled Sabalenka.

She should have broken back in the next game but ended up falling to her knees at the net, arms outstretched as she sent the passing shot wide to go 3-1 down.

In a nervy ending, Sabalenka broke back, immediately conceded it and then capitalised as Siegemund served to stay in the match, ultimately securing victory with a relieved-looking smash at the net.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a big-hitter or a big server – you have to work, run and earn the victory,” Sabalenka added.

“It is tough, but beautiful.”

Nephew steals the show in Anisimova win

In the day’s other women’s quarter-final, the show was stolen at the end when Anisimova picked up her young nephew Jaxon and walked hand in hand with him across Court One to do her on-court interview.

She will have been relieved to have been able to do that for him as an early birthday present after a late wobble in her match against Pavlyuchenkova.

The American had been cruising, taking the opening set in 27 minutes and going a break up for 4-2 in the second.

But she then started making things complicated for herself, missing two match points at 5-4 and then finding herself in a tie-break where she had to save five set points before eventually sealing the win.

She promptly fell face first towards the grass in delight as she reached her first Wimbledon semi-final.

The 27-year-old, who reached the semi-finals in 2021 and 2023, won 6-4 7-6 (7-4) and will next face world number 104 Laura Siegemund for a place in the last four.

This has been a tournament in which many seeds have tumbled and Sabalenka was the only top six seed remaining in the women’s draw.

It hasn’t been plain sailing for Sabalenka as she came through a tough match against British number one Emma Raducanu to set up her meeting with Mertens.

This again was perhaps tougher than expected, particularly as Sabalenka had beaten 24th seed Mertens nine times in a row prior to meeting at Wimbledon.

“I am super happy with the performance. It was a battle. I was happy to get this win,” said Sabalenka.

“She is a great player and great person. I know how smart she is and I knew she would fight until the very end. She really challenged me today.”

It did initially look like being a comfortable win for Sabalenka as she got an early break on her way to racing into a 4-1 lead, but Mertens got a break back as she started to move her opponent around the court more.

Sabalenka broke Mertens again to take the opening set – but the Belgian continued to cause problems with her aggressive tennis.

She was rewarded for her brave play when she got her first break of the match early in the second set, taking advantage as Sabalenka struggled to get her first serve working before thumping down a backhand winner, and then holding to lead 3-1.

Sabalenka broke back two games later but Mertens was undeterred, the two going toe-to-toe all the way to a tie-break.

But there Sabalenka showed her quality, fighting back from 2-0 down to win and progress.

“Everything is possible,” Sabalenka said of winning Wimbledon.

“I am just trying to give my best and really hope for the best.”

Lucky loser’s fairytale run comes to an end

At 37, Siegemund – Sabalenka’s next opponent – is the oldest woman left in the Wimbledon singles draw.

The veteran German ended lucky loser Solana Sierra’s hugely impressive run at the tournament.

Sierra had lost in qualifying but was invited into the main draw after a withdrawal, only finding out 15 minutes before her first-round match.

The 21-year-old from Argentina was looking to become the first lucky loser to make the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam but her journey was ended in round four as Siegemund won 6-3 6-2.

Finally, 13th seed Amanda Anisimova continued her fine form on grass this year as she beat 30th seed Linda Noskova 6-2 5-7 6-4.

This was her 10th win in 12 outings on this surface in 2025, underlining her credentials as a contender for the title.

Anisimova will next face world number 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who knocked out British number three Sonay Kartal earlier on Sunday.

Italian fourth seed Paolini’s 4-6 6-4 6-4 second-round defeat by Kamilla Rakhimova came after eight top-10 seeds across the men’s and women’s singles draws went out across the opening two days – the most at a Grand Slam in the Open era.

But Sabalenka avoided that same fate with a gritty 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 win over Czech world number 48 Marie Bouzkova.

It means the only top-five seed remaining in the women’s draw at the All England Club after day three of the Championships is top seed Sabalenka.

The Belarusian is aiming to add a maiden Wimbledon title to her three Grand Slam triumphs at the US and Australian Opens.

After her win, the top seed told the Centre Court crowd: “I hope it is no upsets any more in this tournament, if you know what I mean!”

Sabalenka, 27, has reached the final of both majors this year, but lost to Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at the French Open.

“Honestly, it is sad to see so many upsets in the tournament in both draws,” she added.

“I’m just trying to take it one step at a time. I know if I’m focused, if I’m there, if I’m fighting, I know I’m going to have my chance in each match.

“I think it’s really important to focus on yourself and to take it one step at a time – do not really look at the draw.

“This is something that can create a lot of nerves and a lot of doubts.”

Sabalenka will face Emma Raducanu in round three after the British number one overcame 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova later on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, American Keys breezed into the third round with a comfortable 6-4 6-2 win over Serbia’s Olga Danilovic, while four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka beat Katerina Siniakova 6-3 6-2.

After a scorching couple of days at SW19, handheld fans were replaced by umbrellas on a drizzly morning which delayed play on the outside courts by almost two hours but the sun came out in time for Sabalenka’s match.

The three-time major winner made tough work of the opening set, struggling to find consistency and, while not playing badly, she was not clinical in crucial moments.

Having watched three of the top five seeds fall on day two, including French Open champion Gauff, Sabalenka would have welcomed a draw that was beginning to open up.

But eye rolling and shouting in frustration at times, she could not conjure a break point in the first set and instead went down a break when she double-faulted at 5-5 to hand Bouzkova the lead.

That was met with a big cheer from a Wimbledon crowd desperate to back the Czech underdog, but they were equally as animated when Sabalenka let out a huge roar as she dug deep to force the tie-break.

A more straightforward second set followed as she secured the break in the fifth game, ramping up the aggression and executing each of her signature powerful groundstrokes with a loud grunt.

Paolini one of 16 seeds out of women’s draw

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Paolini reached the Wimbledon and French Open finals last year

Paolini’s energetic style and personality lit up SW19 last year as she reached a second career Grand Slam final but missed out to Barbora Krejcikova.

This year she is one of 16 seeds to exit the women’s draw in the opening two rounds so far.

The 29-year-old slumped to defeat on a shady Court Three, despite taking the first set with ease.

A lengthy game in set two where Russian world number 62 Rakhimova saved break points seemed to be the turning point for Paolini’s downfall.

She was broken at 3-3 then could not prevent Rakhimova serving out for the set.

Unable to muster a fightback after immediately being broken in the decider, she cut a disgruntled figure as she saved three match points but went out at the fourth.

While no upsets on day three were as significant as Paolini’s, more seeds tumbled out with 12th seed Diana Shnaider, Brazilian 21st seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, Croatian 22nd seed Donna Vekic and Canadian 29th seed Leylah Fernandez all heading out of the door.

World number one Sabalenka put in an error-strewn performance in a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 loss to Gauff earlier this month.

The Belarusian said afterwards it was the “worst final I ever played”, adding: “I think she won the match not because she played incredible [but] just because I made all of those mistakes.”

Speaking 10 days on from the Paris final, Sabalenka said she “absolutely regretted” her remarks.

“That was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me,” the 27-year-old told Eurosport Germany.

“I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control.

“I wrote to Coco afterwards – not immediately, but recently.”

Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam singles champion, has lost both of the major finals she has reached this year.

She lost to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final, where she was two-time defending champion, before the defeat by Gauff.

She committed 70 unforced errors against Gauff, one of the best defenders on the women’s tour, and struggled to keep her composure.

“I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference,” Sabalenka added.

“It took me a while to revisit it, to approach it with open eyes and to understand.

“I realised a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals? I kept getting so emotional.

“So it was a tough but very instructive lesson for me.”

Sabalenka begins her grass-court season at the Berlin Open, where she is the top seed, before Wimbledon gets under way on 30 June.

American second seed Gauff claimed a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 victory after a tense battle between the WTA Tour’s two leading players in testing conditions.

It is the second Grand Slam singles triumph of Gauff’s career, adding to the US Open title she won in 2023, also by beating Belarus’ Sabalenka.

“I honestly didn’t think I could do it,” Gauff, 21, said during the trophy presentation.

Gauff recovered from a difficult start where she trailed by a double break, eventually finding her rhythm and benefiting from a huge number of mistakes from 27-year-old Sabalenka.

“This hurts so much. Congratulations to Coco – she was a better player than me,” said Sabalenka, who was also bidding for her first Roland Garros title.

A stiff breeze played havoc with serve in the opening two sets, leading to the pair exchanging 12 breaks in an entertaining if not high-quality affair.

Gauff, who lost in the 2022 final, settled quicker in the deciding third set to move a break up and kept her nerve to serve out victory.

She had to survive another break point before winning her second championship point, falling to the clay on her back when Sabalenka pushed a forehand wide.

With her parents Candi and Corey dancing euphorically in the stands, Gauff shared an affectionate hug with Sabalenka before running off court to celebrate with her family.

From tears of pain to tears of joy – Gauff’s redemption

Gauff’s previous appearance in the French Open singles showpiece, when she was still a teenager, ended in her covering her head with a towel as she sobbed on her chair.

It was the defining image of her defeat by Iga Swiatek, but she vowed to come back stronger – and she has.

“I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago,” Gauff said.

“I’m just glad to be back here. I was going through a lot of dark thoughts.”

Three years on, Gauff returned to the final as a Grand Slam champion, having fulfilled the potential promised by winning in New York.

A productive clay-court swing, taking her to the Madrid and Rome finals, meant she arrived in Paris considered a sounder bet than defending champion Swiatek.

“Three finals… I guess I got the most important win – that’s all that matters,” said Gauff.

Only Sabalenka, who beat her to the Madrid title, had performed better and it was therefore unsurprising the top two seeds met again with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen at stake.

The tricky conditions met neither woman was able to play their best tennis, but Gauff showed indefatigable spirit and will to win.

Like in 2022 after her defeat by Poland’s Iga Swiatek, there were more tears for Gauff – this time, ones of joy.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Gauff is the first American to win Roland Garros since Serena Williams in 2015

Sabalenka falls short in clay quest

The consistency of Sabalenka across all surfaces over the past three years has been unparalleled.

After excelling on hard courts, she has developed her game to become a force on clay and grass.

By reaching the Paris last eight, Sabalenka was the first player to reach the quarter-finals at 10 consecutive Grand Slams since American great Serena Williams in 2017.

But she fell agonisingly short of landing her first major on the slower clay surface.

All three of her previous major triumphs came on the quicker hard courts at the Australian Open and US Open.

After collecting her runners-up prize, Sabalenka fought back tears and apologised to her team for “playing a terrible final”.

Like in her semi-final win over defending champion Swiatek, Sabalenka started aggressively and confidently to move a double break ahead.

She was a point away from a 5-1 lead but her dominance quickly disappeared as Gauff fought back.

Despite recovering from 5-3 down in the tie-break, Sabalenka continued to be animated and regularly chastised herself.

It meant she was unable to stem the flow of mistakes from her racquet, with a huge total of 70 unforced errors illustrating her difficulties.

A new women’s singles champion will be crowned either way, with world number one Sabalenka seeking a fourth major singles title and second-ranked Gauff a second.

Gauff, the US Open champion in 2023, finished runner-up in Paris three years ago, while two-time Australian Open winner and last year’s New York champion Sabalenka is in a first Roland Garros final.

The pair have five wins apiece from 10 previous meetings before going head-to-head on Court Philippe Chatrier, where the winner will take home 2.5m euros (£2.1m) and 2,000 ranking points.

Sabalenka and Gauff overcame two very different challenges in their respective semi-finals.

Underlining her position as title favourite, Sabalenka ended four-time champion Iga Swiatek’s 26-match run with an impressive three-set victory.

Gauff, meanwhile, was up against a partisan crowd but efficiently ended French wildcard Lois Boisson’s fairytale run in straight sets.

Sabalenka continues to show remarkable consistency at the sport’s highest level, with this her third successive major singles final.

The 27-year-old is the first woman to achieve that feat since the great Serena Williams nine years ago.

Sabalenka has competed in 10 tournaments this year, reaching seven finals, and she leads the WTA Tour with 40 wins in 46 matches.

Gauff, meanwhile, continues to emerge as a force to be reckoned with on clay.

The 21-year-old, bidding for her first title of the season, is the youngest woman to reach the finals at Madrid, Rome and the French Open in the same year.

With her run to the Roland Garros final, she has also become the youngest player to amass 70 wins at Grand Slam tournaments since Maria Sharapova in 2007.

Where will French Open women’s final be won and lost?

There is nothing to split Sabalenka and Gauff in the overall head-to-head record.

They each have one win at the majors, with Gauff defeating Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open final before Sabalenka took revenge in their Australian Open semi-final in 2024.

Both have a win each on clay, with Gauff prevailing in the Italian Open fourth round in 2021 and Sabalenka claiming a straight-set win in their most recent meeting in the Madrid final.

That victory in May perhaps gives Sabalenka a slight edge in Paris, given she has won three of their past four meetings.

But with half of their encounters going the distance – and both players losing just one set in their six matches so far – expectations are high for Saturday’s showpiece.

Known for her brutal hitting, Sabalenka has been typecast as a hard-court specialist throughout her career, with all three of her major singles titles won on that surface.

But she is ever adapting her game. Against Swiatek, she kept the key points short and stifled the clay-court expert’s game with devastating accuracy.

Asked how it would feel to win the French Open, Sabalenka said: “It’s going to mean everything to me and my team.

“Almost [my] whole life I’ve been told [clay] is not my thing and then I didn’t have any confidence.

“If I’ll be able to get this trophy, it’s going to mean the world for us.”

Gauff knows what to expect from Sabalenka – but overcoming that challenge is a different matter.

She will have to be at her best defensively to withstand Sabalenka’s power and try to draw her into longer rallies.

Holding her serve and keeping double faults to a minimum will be key to keeping pressure on Sabalenka and supply a platform for creating opportunities to build on her tournament-leading tally of converted break points (40).

“She’s going to come out aggressive, she’s going to come out swinging,” Gauff said.

“I think I just have to expect that and do my best to kind of counter that.

“Anything can happen on Saturday. I’m looking forward to it, and I’m glad to be going up against a world number one, too.”

Later on Saturday, British pair Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski contest the French Open men’s doubles final against Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.

The Belarusian snapped Swiatek’s French Open winning streak at 26 matches with a 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 6-0 success and will face either second seed Coco Gauff or French surprise hero Lois Boisson on Saturday for the title.

“It feels incredible but also I understand that the job is not done yet. I’m just thrilled with the performance today,” said the 27-year-old.

“What can I say, 6-0 – it couldn’t be much more perfect than that!”

Sabalenka edged a topsy-turvy first set that featured eight breaks of serve in a tie-break, before Swiatek hit back to level the match.

The finale turned out to be a complete anti-climax, as Swiatek made 12 unforced errors in the third set and won only six points.

Sabalenka is targeting a fourth Grand Slam title and first not on hard courts, after winning last year’s US Open and the Australian Open back-to-back in 2023 and 2024.

Swiatek has still not reached a WTA final since lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen 12 months ago.

She showed signs of a revival on the Paris clay where she has dominated since lifting the title as a teenager in 2020, but her game deserted her in the deciding set as she slipped to only the third French Open defeat of her career.

Sabalenka has now won their last two meetings, and five of 13 in total.

This was the first time the pair, the dominant players in women’s tennis of the past few years, have gone head-to-head at a Grand Slam tournament since Swiatek’s win in the 2022 US Open semi-finals en route to the title.

Sabalenka will be a strong favourite to lift the trophy when she takes on either Gauff, who she lost to in the 2023 US Open final, or world number 361 Boisson.

 Sabalenka’s strong start 

Sabalenka roared out of the blocks as Swiatek double-faulted to give up a break in the very first game.

The top seed quickly built a 3-0 lead with a double-break, as Swiatek mustered only four points in the opening exchanges.

But Sabalenka’s hold in game two proved to be the only one until Swiatek cut the gap to 4-3 to stay within touching distance, before making it four successive games to edge in front.

Sabalenka did manage to create a chance to serve out the set, but unsurprisingly, Swiatek broke again to force a tie-break as the Belarusian lashed a groundstroke long.

The three-time Grand Slam champion finally got the first set on the board, though, blasting through the tie-break as Swiatek eventually cracked.

The breaks of serve kept coming in the second set, until Swiatek managed to hold for a 3-1 advantage.

The pair belatedly stabilised behind their serves, albeit too late for Sabalenka in the second set as Swiatek held to love to force a decider.

The four-time champion had never lost a three-set match at the French Open, but found herself sliding towards defeat as she slipped 2-0 behind in the third.

Swiatek, who has built a reputation for dishing out bagels, then wilted under the pressure in a disappointing final set that lasted just 22 minutes.

World number one Sabalenka dominated the opening set but squandered a championship point in a fluctuating second set as Gauff forced a tie-break.

There was still little to separate them as Gauff recovered from 3-0 to make it 3-3 but a double fault gave 26-year-old Sabalenka the victory.

Both came into the final confidently, with Belarusian Sabalenka as the world’s best and Gauff coming off the back of her stunning semi-final win over Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka made a flying start, which included 17 points won in a row, but Gauff’s brave recovery saw her take a 5-3 lead in the second set.

The 21-year-old American then saved six break points to thwart Sabalenka’s comeback after she had made it 5-5.

But Sabalenka held her nerve under pressure in her sixth final of 2025 so far, adding the Madrid title to her wins in Brisbane and Miami.

Her previous wins in Madrid came in 2021 and 2023 and she was runner-up to Swiatek in 2024. She ties with Czech player Petra Kvitova (2011, 2015, 2018) for the most wins in the tournament.

“Congratulations to Coco. I am so happy to see you back playing your best tennis,” Sabalenka said.

“You are such a fighter and I love playing against you.

“With my team, we have been through a lot together so thank you to them.”

Gauff said to Sabalenka: “I think it’s four straight finals for you… Congratulations to you for all the success you are having.”

She added: “This has been a step in the right direction for me. It is one of my favourite cities and tournaments to come to, and hopefully we can go on and win more from here.”

There were seven breaks of serve in a hard-fought first set, which swung the way of both players, before the Belarusian won a game to love on Pegula’s serve.

Sabalenka’s power got her out of trouble on a number of occasions while Pegula’s struggles to hold her own serve, along with her inability to deal with the force of her opponent’s game, proved the world number four’s downfall.

Her frustration grew as Sabalenka took control of the second set. The 26-year-old broke Pegula at 5-2 up to win the tournament without dropping a set as she hit 31 winners in the match, compared to 12 from her rival.

Sabalenka won the Brisbane International in January but had gone into the Miami Open final having lost her previous two finals, with defeats by American Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells two weeks ago.

“I’m speechless,” said Sabalenka, who beat Pegula in last year’s US Open final. “The last couple of finals were really tough and tight and close ones for me, so going into this one I was so focused on myself.

“I was super focused and playing point by point. It feels super special and really happy with the title – the first in Miami.

“It was back and forth the whole match. I was fighting no matter what and, even after each game she broke, I was fighting back and breaking her back.”

Meanwhile, British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool were in action in the men’s doubles final but suffered a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 defeat by top seeds Marcelo Arevalo-Gonzalez and Mate Pavic.

Keys, playing her second major final and first for more than seven years, overcame the world number one 6-3 2-6 7-5.

Only three other women have been older than the 29-year-old Keys when winning their first Grand Slam title.

Keys, seeded 19th in Melbourne, clasped her head in amazement before sharing an emotional hug with husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo.

“I have wanted this for so long. I never knew if I’d be in this position again,” said Keys.

Belarus’ Sabalenka, 25, had been attempting to claim a rare third successive victory at the opening major of the season.

After Keys secured victory, Sabalenka warmly hugged her opponent at the net before her mood quickly soured.

She smashed a racquet then covered her head with a towel before walking off court.

When she returned a few minutes later she received a warm ovation from the 15,000 fans on Rod Laver Arena.

“Madison was incredible and I couldn’t do anything,” said Sabalenka.

“Next time I play Madison I will bring better tennis.”

Keys caps incredible run

Patience can be a precious commodity in sport and even Keys thought her chance of winning one of tennis’ greatest prizes had slipped by.

The seven-and-a-bit years between her first and second major finals is the longest gap in the Open era on the women’s side.

After reaching the French Open and US Open semi-finals in 2018, Keys dropped outside of the world’s top 50 after struggling with injuries.

She returned to the top 10 in early 2022 after making the Australian Open semi-finals and also had a run to the last four at the 2023 US Open.

Keys was denied a place in the final of her home Grand Slam by Sabalenka – a crushing defeat in which she regretted playing “too safe”.

“I’m glad I’ve got you back,” Keys joked afterwards.

After another injury-hit season last year, which forced her to miss the Australian Open, Keys was unsure if she would “be able to do it all again”.

A bold move to change racquet manufacturer in the off-season has paid dividends, with Keys keeping her explosive power while playing with a level of confidence she previously lacked.

Beating Sabalenka was the pinnacle of a title run where has beaten a host of star names.

Keys also beat second seed Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, becoming the first player to beat the top two Australian Open seeds since Serena Williams in 2005.

That came on the back of previous victories over former Melbourne finalists Danielle Collins and Elena Rybakina, plus 2023 Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Madison Keys is the first woman to beat the top two seeds at a major since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2009 French Open

How Keys unlocked Sabalenka in gripping final

Sabalenka was the pre-match favourite, having won 33 of her previous 34 matches on the Australian hard courts.

But Keys, a powerful baseliner, is one of the few players on the WTA Tour who has the weapons to damage Sabalenka.

The explosive match-up led to a gripping final where Keys won only one more point overall.

A stunning opening set, where she whacked 11 winners and had a rock-solid first serve, set the platform.

Keys was also helped by a nervy start from Sabalenka, whose once-unstable second serve returned to trouble her.

Two double faults in the opening game allowed Keys to break, while another set up a second break point in the fifth game which Sabalenka handed over with a sliced forehand into the net.

Keys continued to play lights out, thumping clean winners from the back of the court and also showing deft touches.

A bemused Sabalenka could only smile when Keys pulled out an ice-cold drop-shot on the way to holding for 5-1.

However, Sabalenka was furious with herself after a fourth double fault handed over another set point, which Keys took with a backhand winner.

“She played super aggressive. It seemed like everything was going her way,” said Sabalenka.

“I was just trying to put the ball back. I couldn’t really play my aggressive tennis and didn’t feel my serve that well.”

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Sabalenka was aiming to follow in the footsteps of Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis by claiming a Melbourne ‘three-peat’

An exasperated Sabalenka felt the need to go off court after a 35-minute first set and, having tried to clear her head, was able to shift momentum.

Keys was unable to sustain her previous level, with her winners deteriorating and her first serve lacking precision.

While Sabalenka was still lacking fluency – illustrated by a long forehand that left her dropping her racquet in exasperation – she improved enough to dominate the second set.

A tight and tense decider did not produce a break point until the pivotal 12th game.

Keys upped the ante with some deep returning that Sabalenka could not handle, before sealing victory with a wonderful cross-court forehand winner.

“She played incredible,” said Sabalenka.

“I was trying my best. Obviously it didn’t work well.”

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Madison Keys has been coached by her husband Bjorn Fratangelo, who was a top-100 ATP player, since 2023

Belarusian top seed Sabalenka, who previously described Badosa as her “soulmate”, recovered from an early setback to win 6-4 6-2.

Badosa, contesting her first major semi-final, quickly went 2-0 up but the Spanish 11th seed would win just four of the next 16 games.

Sabalenka will face Iga Swiatek or Madison Keys in the final, where she will aim to emulate Martina Hingis’ three straight titles between 1997-99.

“Just saying that, I have goosebumps. I am so proud of myself and my team that we were able to put ourselves in such a situation,” Sabalenka said.

“It’s a privilege and if I will be able to put my name in the history [books] it’s going to mean the world to me.

“At first I was dreaming to win at least one Grand Slam and now I have this opportunity and it’s incredible.”

It was a 20th straight victory at the Australian Open for two-time defending champion Sabalenka.

Sabalenka will keep her world number one ranking if Swiatek loses in the semi-finals – and if the Pole advances, the winner of Saturday’s championship match will take the top spot.

Should Swiatek join Sabalenka in the final, it would be the first time since 2018 that the Australian Open women’s final has featured the top two seeds.

Badosa, having stunned American third seed Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals, benefitted in the early stages as a tense Sabalenka conceded an immediate break of serve with four unforced errors.

Badosa was within a point of taking a 3-0 lead before Sabalenka switched up a gear.

The three-time major winner then took charge, reeling off four games in a row and was unrelenting from there.

Despite their off-court relationship, both players gave little away, barely exchanging a glance as they stayed focused on their respective tasks.

But, in a rare glimpse into their friendship, they shared relieved smiles after Badosa fell at the start of the second set before raising a reassuring thumb as she lay on the court.

What started as a fiercely-contested match began to drift away from Badosa when she gifted Sabalenka control of set two, conceding a break of serve with back-to-back double faults

Another double fault in the fifth game gave Sabalenka a chance for a second break, which she grabbed with one of her 32 winners before serving out victory in one hour and 26 minutes.

Sabalenka, who was later seen consoling Badosa in the players’ area, said: “It was a super tough match against a friend, I’m super happy to see her at her highest level.

“After a couple of battles against each other we have spoken and decided to put it aside, and here we both wanted it badly.”

Yet when Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa take to the court for their Australian Open semi-final on Thursday, it may only add to the pressure.

The pair are close friends with Sabalenka going so far as to call Badosa her “soulmate” in Stuttgart last year.

“I love Paula very much,” the 26-year-old Belarusian said.

“She is an incredible person. It is very important to have friends on the circuit, so when you find someone who you feel is your soulmate, it is the best thing that can happen to you.”

Their friendship has grown over the past few years with the pair practising together and wearing matching outfits during the 2024 US Open, as well as posting about each other on social media.

“We realised that we had very similar personalities and we get along very well, and that we’re both very, very competitive,” Badosa told the Tennis Channel’s Inside-In podcast, external in March.

“It’s very nice for me having a friend on tour because it’s very tough to find.”

But with a place in the final at stake, that friendship will have to be put on hold in Melbourne.

This is not the first meeting between the two – they have played eight times before, with Sabalenka winning the past six – but it is comfortably the most high-profile.

World number one Sabalenka is bidding to win a third straight Australian Open title, while it is 27-year-old Badosa’s first time in the last four of a Grand Slam.

The Spaniard shocked sixth seed Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals as her remarkable recovery from a back injury, that she feared would force her to retire only a year ago, continues.

“It’s tough to play your best friend,” Sabalenka said after beating Badosa in Stuttgart.

However, difficult as it may be, once they walk out on Rod Laver Arena, all sentiment will be put to one side.

“We know how to separate things,” Badosa added.

“We decided a long time ago that off the court we are friends, while on the court she really wants to win, I really want to win,” said Sabalenka, who beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals.

“So on the court we are competitors and there is no place for friendship.”

Swiatek & Keys both have points to prove

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys are both bidding to reach an Australian Open final for the first time

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will take on American Madison Keys in Thursday’s second semi-final.

For Polish second seed Swiatek, it is a chance to improve on a disappointing record at Melbourne Park with this just the second time she has progressed beyond the fourth round.

“This is something that I always wanted to improve,” she said.

“It’s not like I need to prove it to other people. It’s more that I need to kind of believe. I feel I believe more now.”

Big-hitting Keys, seeded 19th, will provide a stern test for Swiatek, who has had issues against such players in the past.

The former world number one has won four of her five matches against Keys but three of those victories came on her favoured clay surface. On hard courts, they have won one match apiece.

Keys, who has won her past 10 matches and triumphed at the Adelaide Open earlier this month, has a point to prove after coming up short at majors over the years.

Victory over Swiatek would put the 29-year-old through to a second final – and her first since 2017 at the US Open.

“There have been periods of my career where it felt like if I didn’t win [a Grand Slam], then I hadn’t done enough, and I didn’t live up to my potential in all of that,” Keys said.

“That took a lot of the fun out of the game, and there were times where it felt paralysing out on the court because it felt as if I needed it to happen instead of giving myself the opportunity to go out and potentially do it.”

The world number one is attempting to become the first woman since Martina Hingis 26 years ago to complete a ‘three-peat’ at the hard-court Grand Slam.

After racing through the first set, Sabalanka’s title hopes were left hanging by a thread as Pavlyuchenkova swept up the second and broke early in the decider.

But the Belarusian kept her cool to fight back and wrap up a 6-2 2-6 6-3 win.

“I think it is good to have these tough battles and be tougher in the later stages of the tournament,” Sabalenka said.

“I wish I had won this match in straight sets, but it is what it is.”

It is the first time Sabalenka has dropped a set at the Australian Open since the 2023 final, where she fought back to beat Elena Rybakina and win a maiden major singles title.

The top seed said she “can’t wait” to face her friend Paula Badosa in the last four after the Spaniard stunned third seed Coco Gauff earlier on Tuesday.

The world number one and back-to-back champion in Melbourne defeated Stephens 6-3 6-2 in the first round on Rod Laver Arena.

The 26-year-old Belarusian is aiming to become just the seventh player to claim a third straight Australian Open women’s singles title, and the first since Martina Hingis in 1999.

“I’m super happy to be back. I love this place and we have a full stadium, I couldn’t dream for more,” said Sabalenka, who overcame a wobble in the opening set to take victory.

“I don’t feel like I played my best probably but I’m glad that I managed to close this in straight sets.

“It definitely feels like home.”

Sabalenka has now won 28 of her last 29 matches in hard-court Slams since the start of 2023, including 15 consecutive matches at the Australian Open.

She has also won 17 consecutive sets at Melbourne Park and is the heavy favourite for the women’s title.

Sabalenka entertained the Melbourne crowd with some dancing on court after the match, having built up a following on social media by posting videos of her dancing with her team on TikTok.

Fast becoming a fan favourite, she then went to take a picture of the crowd with a polaroid camera before realising it had run out of film.

The top seed will face Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who knocked out British hopeful Sonay Kartal, in the next round.

Rain affected proceedings on the outside courts on day one of the season’s first Grand Slam, but the Rod Laver Arena roof was open in time for Sabalenka’s evening match after Zheng Qinwen, her opponent in last year’s final, beat Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni.

Sabalenka finished 2024 as the year-end world number one for the first time and, beginning her campaign in Australia as two-time defending champion and top seed, looked in fine form as she raced to a 4-0 lead.

But Stephens, who has pedigree on the hard court as a former US Open champion, pegged Sabalenka back, breaking back twice for 4-3 as Sabalenka made a series of unforced errors.

Often animated on court, Sabalenka roared in frustration at each mistake, waving her arms around in exasperation.

What had looked likely to be a straightforward opening set of her campaign turned out to be more tricky but the three-time Grand Slam champion converted her fifth break point for 5-3 then served to take the set.

Sabalenka once again earned herself a double break in the second set and this time was able to hold on to her advantage over Stephens, who has not won a match since last year’s Wimbledon.

By contrast, Sabalenka warmed up for the tournament by winning the Brisbane – and she looks in fine form for a historic ‘three-peat’.

Top seed Sabalenka won 6-3 7-5 in a victory that also confirmed Elena Rybakina’s elimination from the season-ending tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Earlier on Monday, Kazakhstan’s Rybakina was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-1 by Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen for her second defeat at the Finals, and required a Paolini victory to keep her hopes alive.

But a gritty win over the Italian – which saw her save two set points – put Sabalenka one step closer to sealing a maiden WTA Finals title, as well as the year-end world number one ranking.

Should she defeat Rybakina in her final Purple Group match on Wednesday, the Belarusian will remain top of the standings into 2025, out of the reach of Iga Swiatek.

“I’m proud of myself. Not only myself, my team,” said Sabalenka, 26.

“We were able to overcome a lot of things. To be able to show such great tennis and become world number one. It’s teamwork, it’s not only me.

“Nobody sees the behind-the-scenes work. But they do a lot for me. I really appreciate them for everything they do for me. This is motivation for me to keep winning on this court.”

An early double break of serve saw Sabalenka – a two-time Grand Slam champion in 2024 – hit the ground running against Paolini, and while the 28-year-old fourth seed cancelled out one of those breaks, she could do little to challenge her big-hitting opponent.

The second set, however, told a different tale. Though Sabalenka reeled off four consecutive games after an early break for Paolini, she grew frustrated as the Italian – enjoying a breakthrough season on the WTA Tour – mounted a comeback to go 5-4 ahead.

But after saving two set points, a switch flicked for Sabalenka, immediately breaking Paolini’s serve once more before wrapping up the match at the first time of asking.

“The second set was quite tricky, I was just trying to stay aggressive, to show her that I am going to fight for this set no matter what,” Sabalenka added.

“I’m really happy to close this match in straight sets.”

The WTA Finals are being held in Saudi Arabia for the first time – a move which has been criticised by some because of the country’s human rights record.

This year’s tournament has record prize money, with the singles champion set to collect about £4m.

In the Orange Group, Jessica Pegula will face Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday before defending champion Swiatek plays Coco Gauff.

Third time lucky for Zheng v Rybakina

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Elena Rybakina has won three WTA titles in 2024

Prior to defeat by Paolini on Saturday, the opening day of the WTA Finals, 25-year-old Rybakina had not played for two months due to a combination of illness and injury.

The former Wimbledon champion had looked fatigued during that match but started stronger against Zheng, though it was the Chinese player who sealed the first break of serve on her way to taking a 4-1 lead.

From there, Zheng’s unforced error count started to creep upwards and while Rybakina was able to fight back into the set by winning three successive games, a long return from the Kazakh in the tie-break wrapped up the opening set for Zheng.

Little could separate the pair at the start of the second set but finding herself 3-2 and a break down, Rybakina found a much-needed higher gear.

After getting the immediate break back, she saved two further break points from 15-40 down, reeling off three aces in the game before landing a backhand on the Zheng baseline.

That was the second of four successive game wins to seal the second set, but Rybakina became unstuck again in the decider.

As her opponent grew weary, Zheng capitalised with a break for 3-1 from which she never looked back, wrapping up her maiden Finals win on her first match point. Victory also marked her first over Rybakina in three attempts.

“I’m really happy to win this match,” said Zheng, 22. “I’ve never beaten her before and she’s one of the greatest players right now.”

Zheng will face Paolini in the last round of group-stage matches on Wednesday, with the winner set to join Sabalenka in the semi-finals.

Belarusian Sabalenka, who also retained her Australian Open title in January, tops the rankings for the second time after an eight-week stay between September and November 2023.

Neither player was in action last week but Poland’s Swiatek drops to second after being given a points penalty for failing to compete in the mandatory six WTA 500 events.

The 23-year-old – who appointed a new coach earlier this month – has only competed in two of the tournaments and has not played since the US Open in September, after deciding to miss the tour’s Asian swing because of fatigue.

She had led the rankings by more than 4,000 points at one stage after winning five titles in the first six months of the season.

But Sabalenka, 26, slowly reeled her in the second half of the year, winning titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan to go with her triumph at Flushing Meadows.

The next chance for Swiatek to return to number one is the season-ending WTA Finals next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Belarusian was reduced to tears following her loss to Coco Gauff in last year’s final after winning the opening set comfortably.

In 2022, she let a 4-2 lead slip in the deciding set of her semi-final against Iga Swiatek, while she fell to a shock defeat by Leylah Fernandez at the same stage a year earlier.

But the 26-year-old said she was “the happiest person in the world” after beating American Jessica Pegula 7-5 7-5 in the final to finally triumph at Flushing Meadows.

“I’m speechless. I remember all the tough losses here,” Sabalenka said.

“They say you’re going to see the reason later. I see the reason right now.

“That’s why it’s very special, because no matter what, every time I was coming back stronger and I was learning. I never gave up on this dream.”​​​​​​​

Sabalenka ‘living her best life’

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Sabalenka jokingly patted the replica of her tiger tattoo on her fitness trainer Jason Stacy’s head

Before this year’s US Open, Sabalenka said she was trying to find “things which bring joy” after a tough year.

In March, her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov died in what Sabalenka called “an unthinkable tragedy”.

She later said, with hindsight, she should have taken a break from playing. She went on to struggle with a stomach problem in her French Open quarter-final defeat in June, before withdrawing from Wimbledon a few weeks later with a shoulder injury.

The injury-enforced break allowed her to refresh and, in New York, she has shown a fun and relaxed approach with her team off the court.

When she successfully defended her Australian Open title in January, she made it a tradition to write her signature on her fitness trainer Jason Stacy’s head.

Instead of her signature, Stacy stuck Sabalenka’s iconic tiger tattoo on the top of his head for the final against Pegula.

The second seed was seen poking fun at Stacy’s head in her celebrations, while she joked during her post-match news conference that he should have placed the image in the middle of his forehead.

“She is living her best life,” former British number one Laura Robson told Sky Sports.

“You just have to look at the environment she has around her. She has her physio tattooing a lion on his head and you see them all laughing and joking.

“It translates into her game on the court because everything is going to plan off the court.”

Behind her cheerful approach, however, is a bigger motivation for Sabalenka to keep pursuing Grand Slam success.

She has spoken about the impact of losing her father, Sergey, who died in 2019, and says it is her goal to “put our family name in the history of tennis”.

“Every time I see my name on that trophy, I’m so proud of myself, I’m proud of my family that they never gave up on my dream,” she said.

“They were doing everything they could to keep me going.”

‘The best hard court player in the world’

A three-time Grand Slam champion on hard courts, Sabalenka has lost just one of her past 28 major matches on the surface.

Sabalenka has quickly returned to the top of her game during the summer hard-court swing – winning the title in Cincinnati last month before succeeding at Flushing Meadows.

Former world number one and 18-time major singles winner Martina Navratilova has described her as the “best hard-court player in the world”.

Sabalenka can now challenge world number one Iga Swiatek – the ‘Queen of Clay’ after winning a third straight French Open title in June – for the year-end world number one ranking.

“It’s so much more interesting now with the way that Sabalenka is playing because before it felt like Swiatek was just a level above everyone around her,” former British number one Annabel Croft said on BBC 5 Live.

“It feels like Sabalenka has got that inner confidence and belief. She has added more to her game and become very interesting.

“She really is going to challenge Swiatek for that world number one [ranking].”

Second seed Sabalenka, beaten by Coco Gauff in the New York final last year, saw off her former doubles partner Mertens 6-2 6-4.

The Belarusian hit 41 winners and saved all eight of the break points that Belgium’s Mertens created.

Sabalenka is the first woman to reach four consecutive women’s singles quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 2016.

She has now made the quarter-finals or better in her past eight Grand Slam appearances.

Her last defeat before that stage came at the 2022 Australian Open, where she was beaten by Kaia Kanepi in the fourth round. She has not lost a match in Melbourne since, winning the title in 2023 and defending it in January this year.

Sabalenka will face China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who beat silver medallist Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-2, in the last eight.

A match which lasted two hours 50 minutes ended at 2.15am local time on Monday, the latest finish to a women’s US Open match.

Sabalenka beat Zheng in the Australian Open final this year.

Paula Badosa earlier breezed past Wang Yafan 6-1 6-2 to set up a quarter-final against Emma Navarro, who ended Gauff’s title defence in a three-set win.

‘A few months ago I wanted to quit tennis’

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Paula Badosa was born in New York before moving to Barcelona aged seven

Former world number two Badosa is into a second Grand Slam quarter-final after a difficult few years.

Badosa first broke through in 2021, winning the Indian Wells title before a run to the last eight of that year’s French Open.

However, a stress fracture in her back ruled her out of the second half of the 2023 season and has troubled her since.

She has not won a title since January 2022 and considered retirement after struggling with the impact of the injury.

“A few months ago, I was thinking to quit this sport because I stopped believing in myself and my injury wasn’t responding,” Badosa said.

“The low point for me was at the middle of the season. There were moments that I didn’t know what to do.

“In my mind I was thinking, maybe I should quit because if I’m not in the highest level, I don’t want to play this sport.

“So to be back is a dream come true.”

In the women’s doubles, Britain’s Heather Watson and American partner Asia Muhammad lost their third-round match against Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend 6-1 5-7 7-5.

Second seed Sabalenka, runner-up in New York last year, beat Italy’s Bronzetti 6-3 6-1 in just 61 minutes.

Afterwards, she headed straight over to meet a young fan who had come dressed as Sabalenka, complete with a temporary tiger tattoo on her left arm.

“I just looked up, and I saw on the big screen, like, mini me. It was so cute,” Sabalenka said.

“It’s such a motivation to keep going to inspire the young generation. That was a very adorable moment.”

Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka was in control from the outset on a sweltering day in New York.

Bronzetti held her own early on, but ultimately the power of Sabalenka was too much for the world number 76.

The Australian Open champion snatched her only break opportunity of the first set to go up 4-2 and calmly saw it out from there.

She promptly broke twice early in the second set and again to secure victory, finishing the match with an impressive 24 winners.

“I told myself that I had to stay focused from the first point to the last one, and make sure you’re not going to spend a crazy amount of hours [playing] so you’re ready for the next one,” she said.

“It’s tough conditions to play in but I’m happy I was able to manage the win in two sets.”

Gauff shakes off serving struggles to advance

Defending champion Coco Gauff, who beat Sabalenka in last year’s final, overcame a scrappy first set to beat Maria Tatjana later at Flushing Meadows.

Gauff memorably won her first Grand Slam singles title in New York last year and is now on a nine-match winning streak at her home major.

She struggled for rhythm in the first set, making 20 unforced errors and hitting seven double faults before eventually closing it out.

The American was much improved in the second set, approaching the net more and relocating her first serve to see off the veteran Maria.

“I think I played well overall,” Gauff, 20, said.

“If I could have served better that first set would have been a lot easier.”

She will face a tough third-round match against 27th seed Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian beat compatriot Anhelina Kalinina 6-1 6-2.

Wimbledon champion Krejcikova out as Azarenka overcomes migraine

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Barbora Krejcikova beat Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final in July

Earlier, Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova suffered an early exit as she lost 6-4 7-5 to Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

Krejcikova became a two-time Grand Slam champion in July by adding the Wimbledon title to her triumph at the 2021 French Open.

The 28-year-old reached the quarter-final on her main-draw debut at the US Open in 2021 but has since failed to get past round two in New York.

She was outplayed by Ruse, who struck the ball confidently to set up a meeting with 26th seed Paula Badosa of Spain.

Three-time finalist Victoria Azarenka became tearful after struggling with a migraine during her 6-1 6-4 victory over Clara Burel 6-1 6-4.

Belarus’ Azarenka called for the doctor midway through the second set and said she was struggling to focus her vision with what she felt was an oncoming migraine.

She received treatment and dialled back in to secure victory, before covering her head with a towel and donning sunglasses under the stadium lights.

“It was very tough out there, I didn’t know if I could finish the match,” Azarenka, 35, said.

“I know it looks weird and awkward wearing sunglasses but I have a chronic migraine and it’s really tough to deal with.”

She will face China’s Wang Yafan for a place in the fourth round.

Home hopes Emma Navarro and Madison Keys made quick work of their respective opponents. Navarro beat Arantxa Rus 6-1 6-1 and Keys breezed past Maya Joint 6-4 6-0 to set up a meeting with Elise Mertens.

Meanwhile, for the second match in succession, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen recovered from losing the first set to progress.

Zheng, the seventh seed, beat Erika Andreeva 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 6-2.

But Great Britain’s Harriet Dart failed in her bid to reach the US Open third round for the first time, losing in straight sets to 19th seed Marta Kostyuk, who will play Navarro next.

Later, defending champion Coco Gauff takes on Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the opening match of the evening session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The world number two emphatically defended her Australian Open title in January to start the year strongly.

However, in March the Belarusian’s former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, died in what Sabalenka called “an unthinkable tragedy”.

The 26-year-old opted to continue playing – and says, with hindsight, that she should have taken a break.

Sabalenka struggled with a stomach problem in her French Open quarter-final defeat and had to withdraw from Wimbledon a few weeks later with a shoulder injury.

After missing a month to recover, she returned to the WTA Tour in early August and won the Cincinnati Open title last week.

“I think definitely after this year, mentally I will become even stronger,” she said on Friday.

“Looking back, I definitely think that I should have just stopped and separated myself from tennis, just have this little break and recharge and start things over again.

“I think I kind of overplayed, and I carried a lot.”

Sabalenka reached the final at Flushing Meadows last year, losing to Coco Gauff in three sets.

She started the year in impressive form, defending her Australian Open title without dropping a set and taking just 76 minutes to beat Zheng Qinwen in the final.

She has often been seen joking with her coaching team and began a pre-match tradition of writing her signature on her fitness trainer Jason Stacy’s head in Melbourne.

Sabalenka said her personality comes from her father, Sergey, a former ice hockey player who died in 2019 and who she counts as her biggest motivation.

“I wish he would be still alive. I think we would have so much fun together right now,” she said.

“Before, I was probably too much into tennis and trying to be too focused, putting myself under so much pressure.

“Lately, I just realised that this is not how things work. You have to balance this hard work, these expectations, pressure, and everything, with [a] little joy.

“You have to find things which bring you joy, and I have my crazy team and we have so much fun together.”

The US Open begins on Monday, with heavy title favourite Sabalenka opening her campaign against qualifier Priscilla Hon.

The Belarusian needed 76 minutes to wrap up a 6-3 7-5 victory for the 15th title of her career and her sixth at WTA 1,000 level.

The result ended a nine-match winning streak for American Pegula, who defended her Canadian Open title last week.

“This trophy means a lot, it is a really big achievement, especially coming after injury, with this fear of getting injured again,” Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon with a shoulder injury, said in her courtside interview, broadcast by Sky Sports.

“My team did everything they could to make sure I felt as good as I can and I am proud of myself I was able to handle all of those emotions.”

Sabalenka, who will replace Coco Gauff as the new world number two, cruised through the first set after getting the break in the fourth game.

She suffered a slight blip when serving for the title at 5-4 in the second set as sixth seed Pegula broke back to level.

But the two-time Grand Slam champion recovered, striking again before and serving out the win and blowing kisses to the crowd in celebration.

The 26-year-old, who defeated world number one Iga Swiatek in the semi-final, will return to action at the US Open which starts on 26 August.

The pair had met twice before in 2024, in the finals of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, but Sabalenka had lost both.

On Sunday, after failing to convert nine match points, Belarusian Sabalenka, who will become the world number two on Monday, finally got the better of her rival 6-3 6-3.

The match was also the first time Sabalenka, 26, had beaten Swiatek, 23, in straight sets.

“It sounds like I broke the wall finally,” Sabalenka, who is now in her first Cincinnati Open final, said when asked how being a finalist sounded.

“I’m super happy. After such a tough battle against Iga, I’m super happy with the win.”

She will play Jessica Pegula in Monday’s final after the American beat Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the other semi-final.

Pegula has won her last nine matches and victory over Sabalenka would secure the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open double after she triumphed in Montreal last week.

Second seed Sabalenka was seen grimacing and pointing to her stomach as she talked to medical staff in the middle of the first set.

She continued to struggle and appeared to consider retiring from the match.

Despite being far from her best, Sabalenka managed to move past her discomfort to complete the match.

But it was Andreeva, ranked 38th in the world, who emerged victorious, wrapping up a 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 win.

The 17-year-old is the youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist since Martina Hingis at the US Open in 1997.

She will face Jasmine Paolini in the last four after the Italian stunned fourth seed Elena Rybakina earlier on Wednesday.

“Honestly I was really nervous before the match, I knew she’d have an advantage,” said Andreeva, who had lost both her previous meetings with the Belarusian in straight sets.

“Me and my coach, we had a plan today but again I didn’t remember anything. I just try to play as I feel.”

Andreeva capitalises on Sabalenka struggles

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

Image caption: Sabalenka received medical attention throughout the match

After exchanging breaks early in the opening set, it quickly became apparent that Sabalenka was feeling under the weather.

The Australian Open winner became increasingly frustrated with her below-par performance and called for the trainer as Andreeva broke to go 4-3 up.

After talking to the match doctor and returning to the court, Sabalenka made a swiping gesture at her neck and seemed close to signalling her retirement.

But she appeared to brighten and managed to level the set at 5-5 before digging deep in the tie-break to take the opener.

The same problems returned for Sabalenka, however, and she often needed to crouch down and steady herself on her racquet – receiving a time violation on one occasion.

The 26-year-old looked close to tears for much of the second set and made a slow, lethargic walk to her seat when Andreeva broke at 5-4 to force a decider.

Both players struggled to hold serve as the match trundled past the two-hour mark, and Sabalenka continued to receive medical attention.

Andreeva capitalised on her opponent’s struggles and landed an outrageous lob on her second match point at 5-4 to seal a famous victory.

Andreeva’s rise continues

It is another win that marks Andreeva’s rapid rise to the top of the sport.

When the latest rankings are released on Monday, she is set to find herself in the top 30 for the first time.

Playing in her first Grand Slam quarter-final, Andreeva occasionally looked agitated by Sabalenka’s discomfort, annoyed the world number two could hit stunning winners after struggling to stand up straight.

But the teenager kept her nerve and calmly moved through the second and third set, using a powerful two-handed backhand and delicate drop shots to good effect.

It continues a fantastic 12 months as she reached the last 16 at Wimbledon last summer and then thrashed three-time Slam finalist Ons Jabeur on her way to the fourth round at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Belarusian Sabalenka, who reached the semi-finals last year, won 7-5 6-1 against the Spanish former world number two.

A competitive and entertaining first set, where both players demonstrated their power from the baseline, saw seven breaks of serve before second seed Sabalenka closed it out.

The second set was one-sided as 139th-ranked Badosa’s level dropped.

Badosa, who has fallen down the rankings after a stress fracture in her back, saved three match points before putting a backhand long on the fourth.

“I just tried to play my best and fight for every point. I know the conditions were tough and the serve wasn’t an advantage,” said 26-year-old Sabalenka, who won 10 of the final 11 games.

Two-time major champion Sabalenka will play either American 14th seed Madison Keys or her compatriot Emma Navarro, seeded 22nd, next.

Rain once again delayed play on the outside courts in Paris on Saturday, but Sabalenka and fourth seed Elena Rybakina advanced under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier.

After losing in Miami and retiring injured in Stuttgart, Badosa hoped it would be a case of third-time lucky against her friend in their latest meeting this season.

The 26-year-old Spaniard, who beat British number one Katie Boulter in the first round, soaked up Sabalenka’s power and used her opponent’s pace to fizz away winners in a competitive opening set.

It was a risk-reward strategy and when Badosa’s errors started outnumbering the winners, Sabalenka grabbed momentum.

Putting a drive volley into the net for 0-30 5-5 proved a costly mistake for Badosa as she lost serve for a fourth time, and a hold to love from Sabalenka clinched the opening set.

Sabalenka’s rhythm improved further in the second set as she hit the lines with power and precision.

Badosa could not cope but will ultimately reflect positively on her performances at Roland Garros considering her injury issues.

“It’s tough to play your best friend, but we know how to separate things,” said Sabalenka, who hugged Badosa warmly at the net.

“She’s an incredible player coming back after injury. She’ll be back at the top very soon.”

Commanding Rybakina through to fourth round

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

Image caption: Elena Rybakina was beaten in the 2023 Australian Open final

Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina earlier reached the fourth round for the second time with a commanding win over Elise Mertens.

The world number four needed just 67 minutes to beat the 25th seed from Belgium 6-4 6-2.

Rybakina, 24, reached the quarter-finals in Paris in 2021 but withdrew with injury before her third-round match last year.

The in-form Kazakh will face either Elina Svitolina or Ana Bogdan next.

Earlier, home hope Varvara Gracheva overcame Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 7-5 6-3 to reach the fourth round of a major for the first time.

The Russian-born player, ranked 88th in the world, was serenaded by the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen with a loud rendition of the national anthem, La Marseillaise.

“I will remember this moment until the end of my life,” Gracheva, who has represented France since 2023 after living in the country for more than six years, said.

“It means that everyone accepts me, that I’m home here.”

She will face either Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva or American Peyton Stearns next.

Australian Open champion Sabalenka, 26, has been in imperious form so far at Roland Garros, losing just seven games across two commanding straight-set wins.

The pair play second on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“She’s my favourite,” world number two Sabalenka said of Badosa.

“I love her so much. I love to see her play, and she’s really a great fighter, so it’s always great matches.

“It’s always tough to play your best friend on tour, but we know how to manage that, we know how to separate court and life.

“It’s always a great battle. I always enjoy playing against her.”

Spaniard Badosa, a former quarter-finalist, has twice come back from a set down to reach the third round in Paris.

Having ended British number one Katie Boulter’s hopes, Badosa defeated Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva on Thursday and said she was looking forward to the challenge against Sabalenka, who has won their past four meetings.

“She has a big personality, she’s a good girl, always bringing good energy, even on court,” said 26-year-old Badosa, who is currently ranked 139th.

“I think it’s going to be fun. Of course, sharing the court with her after all these results she’s doing and all this is a pleasure for me.”

Elsewhere in the women’s singles draw, fourth seed Elena Rybakina and Belgium’s Elise Mertens meet in the opening match on Philippe Chatrier.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who lifted the Wimbledon title in 2022, has only gone beyond the third round of the French Open once previously.

On Court Suzanne Lenglen, American 14th seed Madison Keys takes on compatriot Emma Navarro for a place in round four.

Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen faces Russian Elina Avanesyan in the opener on Court Simonne Mathieu.

Zheng was a beaten finalist at the Australian Open in January but is yet to go beyond the fourth round at Roland Garros.

Djokovic’s mentality ‘is out of this planet’

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Image caption: Novak Djokovic has won the French Open on three occasions

Defending champion Novak Djokovic is also back in action on day seven when he faces Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti for a place in round four.

Djokovic has endured a tough first half of 2024, failing to reach a final while his spot at the top of the world rankings is under growing pressure from world number two Jannik Sinner, who booked his place in the fourth round on Friday.

The Serb’s pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title continues in the night session on Philippe Chatrier, following straight-set victories against France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena.

Speaking on Friday after beating Donna Vekic, Olga Danilovic, a compatriot of Djokovic, hailed the 37-year-old’s abilities.

“I don’t know if we actually appreciate that he’s the best player in the world by far,” Danilovic said.

“He’s a very humble and nice guy, especially that he’s number one in the world and he’s, for me, the greatest of all time.

“The mentality he has, we are all seeking to have that. It’s just something that is out of this planet.”

Elsewhere on Saturday, fourth seed Alexander Zverev meets Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.

A trial over domestic abuse allegations against Zverev began on Friday – the German has denied the claims.

Norwegian seventh seed Casper Ruud is up against Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry, while Denmark’s Holger Rune takes on Jozef Kovalik of Slovakia.

Salisbury and Ram continue doubles quest

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

Image caption: Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram have won four men’s doubles Grand Slam titles

Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram started their men’s doubles campaign with a straight-set win on Friday and they return to action on Saturday.

They meet Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar in round two.

Jamie Murray, Henry Patten, Luke Johnson and Neal Skupski are among the other Britons playing in the men’s doubles on day seven, all with non-British partners, while Salisbury and Heather Watson will team up in the mixed doubles.

Maia Lumsden is the only British player remaining in the women’s doubles and will partner China’s Wang Yafan against Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok and Japan’s Miyu Kato.

Belarusian second seed Sabalenka won 6-3 6-2 to claim her second Grand Slam singles trophy without dropping a set.

With 12th seed Zheng backed by passionate Chinese support, a composed Sabalenka sucked the energy out of her opponent and the crowd in a fast start.

She is the first woman to win back-to-back since Victoria Azarenka in 2013.

Sabalenka, 25, who became the strong favourite after top seed Iga Swiatek was beaten in the third round, emulated her compatriot Azarenka by completing victory in little over an hour.

“It’s been an amazing couple of weeks and I couldn’t imagine lifting the trophy another time,” said Sabalenka.

Zheng, 21, was playing in her first major final and often looked overawed – by both the occasion and her opponent.

Sabalenka back with a bang

When Sabalenka won in Melbourne last year, the key factors behind her success were remodelling her serve to avoid the double faults which had plagued her and working with a psychologist.

Her development over the rest of the 2023 season led to a first stint as the world number one and becoming the most consistent women’s player at the Grand Slams.

Sabalenka went on to reach at least the semi-finals at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, but her attempts to win more majors were ruined by moments of uncertainty.

“There are not going to be big wins without really tough losses. You have to trust the process and believe that next time you’ll do better,” she said.

Returning to Melbourne, the experience of already having won there appeared to add an extra layer of belief in a series of composed performances.

Sabalenka dropped just 16 games on her way to the semi-finals – where she then exacted revenge on Gauff in straight sets – before turning her attention to Zheng.

Executing her aggressive approach to near perfection paid dividends.

Sabalenka broke at the first opportunity with a backhand which rocked Zheng, saw off three break points in the next game and continued to force errors from her opponent as she moved towards a clinical victory.

The rare moment of uncertainty in a dominant performance by Sabalenka came when she was trying to close out victory and needed to save a rare break point before taking a fifth championship point.

She took this with a clean forehand crosscourt winner, turning to her team with both arms lifted towards the sky before blowing a kiss.

Zheng unable to provide victory Chinese fans craved

While Sabalenka was trying to replicate the achievement of compatriot Azarenka, Zheng also had a significant moment of history which she was hoping to emulate.

Ten years ago, trailblazing Chinese star Li Na won the 2014 Australian Open to the delight of the nation – and an 11-year-old Zheng who watched on television with her childhood friends.

It would have sparked joyous celebrations – in Melbourne and back home – if Zheng marked the notable anniversary with her own triumph.

In a city with an enormous Chinese community, Zheng was backed by a majority of the 15,000 crowd with excitable fans waving Five-Star Red Flags and homemade banners in their support of a player known as ‘Queen Wen’.

However, she was unable to provide the victory they craved.

As well as looking nervy, Zheng could not cope with the pace of Sabalenka’s groundstrokes as the world number two proved too much of a step up in class.

The Chinese player had not faced an opponent ranked inside the top 50 – including British number one Katie Boulter in the second round – during her run to the final.

“It’s my first final and I’m feeling a little bit [of] pity but it was a good experience at the same time,” said Zheng.

“I feel complicated because I could have done better but I didn’t in this match.”

Belarusian second seed Sabalenka won 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 against American fourth seed Gauff in a tense semi-final.

Both were edgy in an error-strewn first set with six breaks before Sabalenka pounced decisively late in the second.

Sabalenka will face Zheng Qinwen or Dayana Yastremska in Saturday’s final.

Chinese 12th seed Zheng and Ukrainian qualifier Yastremska contest the second semi-final at Melbourne Park later on Thursday.

Sabalenka illustrates why she is title favourite

Anticipation for the contest between Sabalenka and Gauff at the opening Grand Slam of the season was high.

Both players had been impressive as they worked their way through the draw, setting up a rematch of their thrilling US Open final which 19-year-old Gauff edged in September to claim her first major title.

Sabalenka had been particularly dominant and, after showing resilience to recover from sticky spells against Gauff, still has not dropped a set over the past fortnight.

The 25-year-old Belarusian unleashed her explosive game on Gauff from the start, cracking 33 winners and attacking her opponent’s second serve in a high-octane demonstration of her power.

While Sabalenka’s style still often leads to errors, she seems more at ease at Melbourne Park this fortnight having the experience of lifting her first major title here.

Now, after keeping her composure to serve out victory, she is the first woman to reach back-to-back finals since Serena Williams in 2017.

“I think I was able to focus on myself and I was prepared for her moving really good and putting every ball back,” said Sabalenka, who has reached at least the semi-finals of the past six majors.

“I had to be ready to make an extra shot and I was ready for tonight.”

Gauff fulfilled what had long seemed her destiny by winning in New York when she fought back from a set down to beat Sabalenka.

This time she was unable to repeat the feat as Sabalenka ended her unbeaten start to the 2024 season.

Gauff came to Melbourne on the back of winning a WTA title in Auckland and did not drop a set in her opening four matches.

But, after scraping past Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in what she called a “bad” quarter-final, she looked extremely nervy in the early stages of the semi-final.

Gauff’s tension was illustrated by six double faults in the first set, although she also showed her ability to mentally reset as she twice recovered from being a breakdown.

After soaking up so much pressure, Gauff broke for 6-5 but blew the chance to serve out the set from 30-0 and was punished as Sabalenka dominated the tie-break.

Gauff had to fight off more break points in the first and sixth games of the second set, with the pressure telling when loose errors from the baseline allowed Sabalenka to break for 5-4.

This time, Sabalenka did not allow the opportunity to slip from her grasp and earned the “revenge” she wanted to exact on Gauff for her Flushing Meadows defeat.

“It was a tough match for me,” said Gauff, who looked close to tears while she left Rod Laver Arena.

“Overall it was a positive tournament. I had chances in both sets, but she played better. I think it just came down to a couple of points and that’s tennis.”

The Belarusian lost out in a thrilling US Open final in September after Gauff fought back from a set down to triumph.

Seeking to retain the title which represented her first major title 12 months ago, Sabalenka has been in devastating form in Melbourne.

“After the US Open, I really wanted that revenge,” said Sabalenka.

“It’s always a great battle against Coco, really great fights. I’m happy to play her and I’m super excited to play the semi-final match,” the 25-year-old added.

“She’s moving really well. Everything you do on the court is coming back. She’s a great player, and I’m really excited to play her.”

That match will begin at 08:30 GMT on Thursday on Rod Laver Arena and the winner is guaranteed to face a player who has never reached this far at a Grand Slam in Saturday’s showpiece, with Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen and Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska contesting the biggest match of their respective careers in the day’s second semi-final.

Sabalenka’s revenge mission

After her US Open final loss to 19-year-old Gauff in New York, an emotional Sabalenka was seen smashing her racquet against the floor on the way back to the dressing room.

But the second seed has responded to that disappointment in emphatic fashion on her return to Grand Slam action in Melbourne, where she is yet to lose a set and has conceded just 16 games across five matches.

The longest Sabalenka has been kept on court is the 71 minutes it took to dismiss Czech ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova in the quarter-finals as she efficiently extended her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 12 matches.

She has now reached the semi-finals at her past six Grand Slam tournaments – and eight of her last 10 since reaching her first at Wimbledon in 2021 – a level of consistency at the sport’s top level which she has put down to a change in mindset.

“I’m not getting crazy on court, I’m not rushing things. I’m just playing point by point and that’s it, fighting for every point without overthinking about my dreams,” Sabalenka said.

“I just decided at some point I needed to figure out by myself how to start controlling myself better. I think that decision was the biggest decision for me and I started actually taking responsibility for everything I’m doing.”

Gauff landed her first Grand Slam title with her stunning comeback against Sabalenka to win 2-6 6-3 6-2 in New York, delivering on her potential in front of an expectant home crowd.

Entering her first major as a reigning Slam champion, the fourth seed cruised into the Australian Open last eight but scraped past Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in three sets to set up a tantalising semi-final.

The 19-year-old, who has won both Slam semi-finals she has contested, said she hoped to have “got the bad match out of the way” before preparing for a seventh meeting with Sabalenka, having won four of the previous six.

“You do feel like you’re the one to beat and I feel like people step on court and they play more free and want to play their best because there’s no pressure,” said Gauff, who finished runner-up at the 2022 French Open following her other previous semi-final appearance.

“I definitely feel a little change. But also, at the same time, when I was young nobody wanted to lose to a 15-year-old, so I felt people played really hard then too.

“I think there’s a quote, it’s not easy to get to the top, but easier to get to the top and harder to stay there. The goal is to stay here as long as possible and keep going upwards.”

Zheng and Yastremska will both be in uncharted territory when they follow Sabalenka and Gauff’s rematch on Thursday.

The 21-year-old Zheng, set to move into the world’s top 10 following her comeback quarter-final win over unseeded Russian Anna Kalinskaya, is through to the last four at a Slam for the first time – 10 years after compatriot Li Na triumphed in Melbourne.

But while Zheng also reached the last eight at the US Open, Yastremska’s previous best performance at a major was a run to the Wimbledon fourth round in 2019.

Yastremska, 23, is the first qualifier to reach the Australian Open semi-finals in the women’s draw in 46 years and will start as underdog with a rank of 93.

“It’s nice to make history. It’s something new for me and for my generation because the last time it happened it was a long time ago,” Yastremska said.

After setting up their semi-final encounter, Zheng said: “It doesn’t matter if she comes from qualifying. Right now, the people who arrive to the semi-finals, they all have a super level in this tournament.”

Sabalenka’s 6-2 6-3 win confirmed a repeat of September’s thrilling US Open final, in which Gauff came back from a set down to win a first major title.

Gauff, 19, scraped past Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in three sets in Melbourne.

The American made 51 unforced errors but won 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (4-7) 6-2.

Belarusian Sabalenka, who claimed her maiden singles Slam triumph on Rod Laver Arena 12 months ago, hit 20 winners and broke Czech 2021 French Open champion Krejcikova’s serve six times in a devastating quarter-final display.

That was in sharp contrast to last-four opponent Gauff’s victory, with the fourth seed saying she hopes to have “got the bad match out of the way” as she aims to become the first women’s player since Naomi Osaka three years ago to win back-to-back majors.

The other two quarter-finals in a women’s singles draw blown open by a string of high-profile early exits take place on Wednesday.

One of China’s Zheng Qinwen, Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska and Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova – none of who have ever played in a Grand Slam semi-final – will meet Gauff or Sabalenka in Saturday’s showpiece.

Sabalenka continues to shine

Sabalenka could not have wished for a much smoother Australian Open title defence to this point.

The 25-year-old is yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park this fortnight, conceding just 16 games in five matches on her way to the last four and not losing more than three games in any single set.

She took just 71 minutes to dismiss ninth seed Krejcikova – the longest she has been kept on court at this year’s tournament – before she prepares to exact revenge on Gauff.

The second seed was already up a double break in the opening set by the time Krejcikova landed a first blow, momentarily reducing the deficit to 4-2 before a fired-up Sabalenka struck for a third time.

There was little Krejcikova could do to delay Sabalenka as she again trailed 4-1 in the second set, earning one break back before falling to the first of three match points on her serve.

“I think it was a really great match today. I played really great tennis,” said Sabalenka.

“I really hope that I can keep playing that way, or even better.”

Unbeaten in her last 12 matches in Melbourne, Sabalenka has now reached the semi-finals at her past six Grand Slams, becoming the first player to achieve that feat since Serena Williams made 10 in a row between 2014-17.

Gauff falters but finds a way through

Gauff had breezed into the Australian Open last eight with a series of clinical and composed performances but her display against world number 37 Kostyuk – the highest-ranked player she has faced so far – was far from convincing.

Both players looked tight and tense in a match where they made 107 unforced errors in a total of 246 points.

Gauff, who hit just 17 winners in comparison to her 51 unforced errors, fought back from 5-1 down in the first set but failed to serve out the second.

The three-hour contest featured 16 breaks of serve and Gauff took nine of them, including three in the decider, to progress.

“I think it was definitely a ‘C’ game – I didn’t play my best tennis but really proud that I was able to get through the match,” said Gauff, who had never previously gone beyond the fourth round in Melbourne.

“Hopefully I got the bad match out of the way and I can play even better.”

The teenager has looked a different proposition over the past six months, playing with more confidence and trust in her ability under the guidance of renowned coach Brad Gilbert.

Showing more faith in her previously shaky forehand has been a key factor in her renaissance after a chastening first-round exit at Wimbledon last year, since when Gauff, unbeaten at the start of the 2024 season, has lost only four matches.

But that old failing reappeared – particularly in a second set in which Gauff admitted she became “became a little bit passive” – and she had to dig deep to find a way past Kostyuk.

Kostyuk, 21, was playing in her first major quarter-final and says she is “proud” of a run she hopes will remind people of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I was texting with some people from [Ukrainian capital city] Kyiv. I said ‘How is it? How are you guys?’ They said ‘Well, we were looking between your score and where the missiles are flying,” Kostyuk said.

“It’s very exhausting to live in this state. The war is still there. It’s not gone.”

The 19-year-old American booked her spot in the last eight by sweeping past Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-1 6-2.

“I’ve lived so many lives in the last four years that I just feel older than 19,” US Open champion Gauff said.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her own serene progress by beating Amanda Anisimova 6-3 6-2.

Gauff and 25-year-old Sabalenka remain on course to meet in the Melbourne last four, which would give the Belarusian an opportunity to avenge her defeat in the US Open final.

After bursting on to the scene as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon in 2019, Gauff fulfilled her long-heralded potential by landing a first Grand Slam title in New York.

Now, in her final major tournament as a teenager, she is the second favourite at the Australian Open behind second seed Sabalenka.

“Sometimes I forget my age. I know I’m not going to be a teenager any more,” said Gauff, who is the youngest player to reach the Melbourne quarter-finals since Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska.

“When I’m looking at the other girls on tour who are 16, 17, and now coming up, they just feel so young and I feel so old.

“I know I’m not that old, but I definitely do forget my age a lot.”

Gauff, who has not faced another seed, will play Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk next, while Sabalenka faces either 16-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva or Czech ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova.

Neither Gauff or Sabalenka have dropped a set at the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2024 season.

Seeds falling but Gauff storms on

Seeded players have been falling quickly in the women’s singles, with only four of the top 16 left after the first week and just seven remaining in total.

Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, seeded 18th, is the only Grand Slam champion left in the top half of the draw after world number one Iga Swiatek’s shock third-round defeat on Saturday.

Gauff, 19, ensured she did not face the same fate with a clinical and composed performance against Frech, who was competing in the last 16 of a major for the first time.

The American broke serve in the first game on and allowed Frech to win just 10 more points in a 26-minute set.

Two more breaks of serve followed in the second set as Gauff breezed through without facing a break point.

In her first Melbourne quarter-final, she will face Kostyuk after the world number 37 easily beat Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva 6-2 6-1.

Gauff said she was “not too nervous” to play in front of the great Rod Laver – because she was already well on the way to victory when the 11-time major champion arrived on the court named after him.

“Luckily I was up a lot when I noticed he came in,” joked Gauff, who thanked the 85-year-old Australian for coming to her match.

Sabalenka moves on – with new superstition

Sabalenka has been in similarly devastating form, dropping just six games in her opening three matches, and produced another dominant display against 22-year-old Anisimova.

She had lost her four past meetings with the American but needed just 70 minutes to seal victory at Melbourne Park.

The 25-year-old has developed a new superstition this week – signing her fitness coach’s head with a pen before each match.

“I did it before the first match,” she said. “Now it’s a routine.

“Every time he’s not super happy that I’m going to do that. He’s like, ‘OK, anything for the win’.”

Swiatek beat Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka, who in September replaced her as world number one after 75 consecutive weeks, 6-3 6-2 to reach the final.

The 22-year-old Pole is aiming to end a second successive season as number one.

“It’s still a long way away because I feel like tomorrow’s match will be the toughest one,” said Swiatek.

“We can talk about it tomorrow after the match. I’m just going to continue doing what I’ve been doing.”

American Pegula, 29, beat US Open champion Coco Gauff to reach the final in Mexico.

Four-time major winner Swiatek clinched her 10th consecutive victory in a semi-final that was suspended after three games because of rain on Saturday.

When it resumed on Sunday, Swiatek immediately broke Sabalenka’s serve, saved a break point for a 4-1 lead and served out the opening set.

Sabalenka, Australian Open champion and US Open runner-up this year, failed to create any further opportunities as Swiatek broke twice in the second set before wrapping up a victory that equalled the 67 wins she achieved in 2022.

Neither Swiatek nor Pegula has dropped a set this week. They have earned £1.2m in prize money and 1,080 ranking points, with the winner set to claim an additional £1.1m and 420 points.

Pegula, 29, clinched victory on her seventh match point, sealing a 6-4 6-3 victory over the Belarusian, who made 33 unforced errors.

Elena Rybakina defeated Maria Sakkari 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-2).

She will now play Sabalenka on Thursday evening to determine the second qualifier from the group.

American Pegula, who had defeated Rybakina on Sunday, has now won her past five matches against top-10 players and said she is feeling “more comfortable” against the elite players this year.

“I don’t think it feels like such a big deal,” she said.

“Last year when I made top five, I think I psyched myself out a little bit. You have thoughts in your head – do I really belong at that level?”

In contrast, Sabalenka rarely looked at ease at the newly constructed Estadio Paradisus, and described the playing surface as being “like leather”.

The 25-year-old is one of several players who have complained about the condition of the court at this week’s tournament.

“You never know what’s going to happen, whether the bounce is going to help you or work against you,” Sabalenka said.

“I guess today was a day where it didn’t work well for me. But it’s OK – I still have a chance to pass the group, so I’m trying to stay strong. I’ll do some recovery and just try to analyse what happened. I’ll do everything I can in the next match.”

Wednesday’s Group B matches see Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova take on Ons Jabeur, while US Open winner Coco Gauff faces Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka, 25, beat Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-0 6-1 in her opening match on Sunday but said she felt “disrespected” by the sport’s governing body.

“I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals,” said the Belarusian.

“This is not the level of organisation we expect for the Finals.”

The venue for the Finals was only confirmed in early September after talks between the WTA and Saudi Arabia failed to yield an agreement for 2023.

The construction of the court in the Mexican resort of Cancun was only completed in the days before the tournament’s Sunday start.

Players had been mostly supportive of playing the tournament in Saudi Arabia, but there was criticism from the likes of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert of the WTA potentially going to a country where women face discrimination.

Although Sabalenka dominated against Sakkari, converting five of her nine break-point chances and winning 11 games in a row to wrap up victory in an hour and 14 minutes, she said the conditions were far from ideal.

“To be honest, I don’t feel safe moving on this court a lot of the time,” Sabalenka said.

“The bounce is not consistent at all and we weren’t able to practise on this court until yesterday for the first time. It’s just not acceptable to me with so much on the line and so much at stake.

“As I said in my press conference tonight, as a player I really feel disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do.”

Sabalenka took the top ranking from Poland’s Iga Swiatek after the US Open in September and will finish as year-end number one if she is undefeated in round-robin play or reaches the final.

Earlier in Group A, American Jessica Pegula beat Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-2.

Pegula, 29, won 10 of the last 12 games against her Kazakh rival, who had served for the first set at 5-3 but had 35 unforced errors in the match.

Sabalenka’s next match will be on Tuesday against Rybakina, with Pegula facing Sakkari.

Monday’s Group B matches see Swiatek take on Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova while US Open winner Coco Gauff faces Ons Jabeur.

Gauff, seeded sixth, started slowly in front of an expectant home crowd but grew in confidence to wear down second-seed Sabalenka in New York.

Gauff, 19, clinched a 2-6 6-3 6-2 win on a delirious Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I feel like I’m in a little bit of shock at the moment,” Gauff said.

“I feel like God puts you through tribulations and trials and that makes this even sweeter,” added the American, who lost in her only other major singles final at the 2022 French Open.

“I’m thankful for this moment. I don’t have any words.”

Australian Open champion Sabalenka, meanwhile, must wait for a second major title.

The 25-year-old Belarusian can at least console herself with the knowledge she will become the world number one for the first time.

Gauff will rise to a career-high third when the latest rankings are released on Monday – but claiming her first major at her home Grand Slam is what really matters.

When sealing victory with a backhand winner on her first championship point, Gauff immediately fell on to the court and laid on the sideline with her hands covering her face.

Almost the whole 24,000 crowd, which provided boisterous support throughout as they willed Gauff to victory, erupted in a frenzied celebration.

Gauff, overcome with emotion, made a heart sign to the fans before going up to the stands to see her parents Corey and Candi.

All three hugged and jumped in a circle as the family’s sacrifices and hard work had resulted in one of the sport’s biggest prizes.

Asked to describe that moment, a laughing Gauff said: “When I hugged my dad, I didn’t see him, because he went immediately for the embrace – but I heard him crying.

“I have never seen that man cry in my life. My mum, I knew she was going to cry regardless if I won or lost.

“Honestly [I was thinking] nothing. The whole time I was saying to myself, ‘Oh my goodness, how is this real?”

From teenage phenomenon to Grand Slam champion

Since Gauff burst on to the scene as a 15-year-old phenomenon at Wimbledon in 2019, there have been expectations she would eventually become a Grand Slam champion.

Now, following a significant but steady rise as she got to grips with the professional tour, she has become the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999.

What makes it more remarkable is the way Gauff has turned her form around after a deflating first-round exit at Wimbledon in July.

Gauff has restored confidence in her groundstrokes, as well as developing an unwavering belief she can still turn matches around even when she is not playing well.

That was the key to grinding her way back into contention against Sabalenka.

Gauff’s forehand has come under scrutiny and Sabalenka particularly attacked that wing in the early stages when she broke on the way to a 2-1 lead.

Both players were unable to find their best level in a strange first set, the pair exchanging three more breaks of serve before Sabalenka sealed the opener with Gauff not offering enough consistency in the rallies.

After needing to save two break points in the first game, Gauff improved considerably in the second set.

She defended the baseline with incredible athleticism and anticipation, returning much better to force Sabalenka into mistakes.

A double fault from the Belarusian on a break point handed over a 3-1 lead, with Gauff growing in confidence to close out the set and level.

Momentum continued with Gauff in the deciding set, two early breaks putting the teenager in command before she confidently served out to love.

It was the third time over the past fortnight – following an opening win against German qualifier Laura Siegemund and a third-round victory over Belgian 32nd seed Elise Mertens – where she has fought back to win.

“Definitely she was moving just unbelievable,” said Sabalenka, whose 46 unforced errors outweighed 24 winners.

“The second set I start probably overthinking and because of that I started losing my power. Then she started moving better and I started missing a lot of easy shots.

“The good news is that it’s me against me. The bad one is that I’m still having these issues playing against myself.”

‘I’m burning so bright now’ – Gauff tells doubters

Gauff’s victory is the culmination of an outstanding North American hard-court swing, where she won the biggest titles of her career in Washington and Cincinnati.

Since the Wimbledon defeat, she has recovered by winning 18 of her 19 matches and beating Sabalenka is a career-best 12th victory in a row.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ to the people who didn’t believe in me,” Gauff said.

“A month ago I won a WTA 500 title [in Washington] and people said I would stop at that.

“Two weeks ago I won a 1000 title [in Cincinnati] and people were saying that was the biggest title I would get.

“Three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy right now.

“I tried my best to carry on with grace but, honestly, to those who thought you were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it.

“I’m burning so bright right now.”

‘A star is born’ and ‘a great champion’ – reaction

There was no shortage of praise for Gauff following her breakthrough victory in front of a raucous New York crowd, with those present at Arthur Ashe Stadium and many others watching on from afar celebrating the teenager’s triumph.

Among them was former US president Barack Obama, who congratulated her on social media, adding: “We couldn’t be prouder of you on and off the court – and we know your best is yet to come.”

Compatriot and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens called Gauff “amazing”, while boxing legend Mike Tyson said: “Coco! You did it! America and the world are celebrating!”

Commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, American former player Jeff Tarango said: “How eloquent she was when she was talking [in her post-match interview]. She’s the perfect poster-child. A star is born.”

And former British number one Annabel Croft added: “I think people expected a lot from her and she’s had to cope with enormous amounts of pressure. It was unusual to hear her have a little bit of a pop back at people but I think it also showed there is steel there in her character, which is why she’s become a great champion.”

The 19-year-old, appearing in her second major singles final, is the youngest American finalist in New York since Serena Williams in 1999.

Belarusian Sabalenka, who will become the new number one on Monday, is aiming for a second major title of the year after her Australian Open triumph.

The winner will earn $3m (£2.4m).

Gauff leads the head-to-head, having won three of their five meetings on the WTA Tour.

However, fellow first-time US Open finalist Sabalenka won their most recent match, a 6-4 6-0 victory at Indian Wells earlier this year.

Gauff is on an 11-match winning streak heading into the final, and has won 17 of her 18 matches since a first-round exit at Wimbledon.

She registered an impressive straight-set win over Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals – despite a 49-minute mid-match delay caused by climate protesters.

“After Wimbledon, I wasn’t expecting to do well in this hard-court season. I’m really proud of the way I have been able to turn this season around,” Gauff said.

“I have just been focusing on myself. I believe that I have the maturity and ability to do it.

“Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I’m really proud of how I have been handling the last few weeks.”

Gauff prepared for her home Slam by claiming her two biggest titles to date at Washington and Cincinnati in August and will now look to go one better than her 2022 French Open final defeat by Iga Swiatek.

Should Gauff win, she will also earn 2,000 ranking points, which would lift her to a career-high of third in the world.

Sabalenka will keep fighting ‘no matter what’

Sabalenka’s climb to world number one is the culmination of the best year of her career, one in which she delivered a long-awaited Grand Slam singles title after a string of semi-final defeats.

Following her Australian Open triumph she suffered narrow defeats in the semi-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon, but avoided the same fate in New York with a stunning comeback from 6-0 5-3 down against Madison Keys on Thursday.

It was the first time Sabalenka had dropped a set at this year’s tournament.

But she won 14 of the last 19 points to close out victory, even managing to refocus after celebrating prematurely when she reached seven points in the first-to-10 match tie-break.

On Saturday, she will attempt to become the first woman to win both hard court Slams in the same year since Angelique Kerber in 2016.

“I think the Australian Open final will definitely help, with all those emotions I went through in that final,” Sabalenka added.

“I’ll be different in this final. I know which kind of emotions to expect. I know how to handle them.

“Going into this final, I think I just have to focus on myself and prepare myself for another fight.

“No matter what, just keep fighting and keep playing my best and do my best. What else can you do? You just have to be there and you have to fight for it.”

Sixth seed Gauff, 19, plays Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova in Thursday’s women’s semi-finals in New York.

Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka, yet to drop a set, meets American Madison Keys in the other semi-final.

“I have the mentality that I still have another two weeks to play,” Gauff said.

“I think that’s what I learned in the past of being in quarter-finals – before I would think I’m close to the end.

“Then obviously when it’s over, it’s over.”

Gauff has enjoyed the best period of her career on the North American hard-court swing, coming into the US Open on the back of winning her biggest singles titles in Washington and Cincinnati.

She has continued to thrive in front of expectant home crowds, going one better than her quarter-final run at Flushing Meadows last year.

“I think what’s helping is playing from [Washington] DC to Montreal to Cincinnati, that was a long swing,” said Gauff.

“I think doing well in those tournaments built my mental endurance. I always had the physical endurance but it built my mental endurance.”

The improvements were evident at the US Open when she came from behind to beat German qualifier Laura Siegemund in the first round and Belgian 32nd seed Elise Mertens in the third.

“When you’re confident and clear in what you’ve got to do out there, it puts your mind at ease,” Jarmere Jenkins, part of Gauff’s new coaching team, told BBC Sport.

“Before I feel she was going out there and hoping to play well. Now she is going into a match thinking: ‘I’ve got this if I play well or even if I don’t’.

“She doesn’t always have to play great to win a match, a lot of matches she has won not playing her best tennis – but the best is going to come.”

Sabalenka ‘learning not losing’ from tough exits

With most of the focus on Gauff, Sabalenka has been quietly and efficiently getting on with business in New York.

The 25-year-old, who won her maiden major singles title at the Australian Open in January, has not dropped a set on her way to the last four.

She is aiming for a first US Open final appearance, having reached the semi-finals for the third successive year.

Sabalenka lost to Muchova from a commanding deciding-set lead in this year’s French Open semi-finals, a tournament where she skipped open news conferences to protect her mental health and faced questions about Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

She also lost from a set up against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Bouncing back to reach the New York last four means she is the first women’s player to make the semi-finals of all four majors in the same season since Serena Williams in 2016.

“I had a couple of really tough losses this year, but we’re not losing: we’re learning,” Sabalenka said.

“I have really strong belief that all those tough matches I lost will help me in the future in other tough matches, other tough battles.

“I’m super proud of myself and my team that we have been able to adjust to different conditions, different courts. We were able to bring this consistency in my game. It’s unbelievable.”

The players trying to stop them

Muchova, 27, is aiming for a second Grand Slam final of the season after letting a deciding-set lead slip against Swiatek at the French Open.

Seeded 10th at the US Open, the Czech has enjoyed a renaissance this year after overcoming a series of injuries which threatened to end her career in 2022.

Muchova has already played Gauff on the US hard courts recently, losing in straight sets in the Cincinnati final.

Asked about her mentality before facing Gauff again, Muchova said: “I’m trying to keep things pretty easy and not put too many expectations on me.

“The key to the match for me is playing my own game. I don’t really want to say all the tactics, I’ll just focus on myself and try to bring the best out of me.

“I always feel that I’m a tough cookie in life as well. That helps with tennis.”

Keys, seeded 17th, is aiming for a return to the final after losing to fellow American Sloane Stephens in 2017.

After beating Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the last four, 28-year-old Keys thanked the home crowd for helping her feel she could “get out of any situation”.

Keys will be hoping to channel the support when she meets Sabalenka, who beat her in straight sets at Wimbledon two months ago.

“In the second set at Wimbledon, I was up a break and I had chances. I was definitely in the match and had opportunities,” said Keys.

“I think even though I lost that match, it wasn’t like I wasn’t in the match and had no idea what I was doing out there.

“There are a lot of positives I can take out of that match and try to implement.”

Jabeur, last year’s runner-up, won 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Czech 31st seed Bouzkova, who was hampered by a thigh injury.

Tunisia’s Jabeur, 29, has been struggling with illness in New York.

“Hopefully I’ll continue with this warrior symbol,” she said after winning in two hours and 56 minutes.

“I love fighting. I trust my body. I know I can go all the way playing three sets, no problem.

“It’s not fun starting being sick. I feel like this tournament is testing me and showing me that I have a lot of strength, that I can go really far.”

Jabeur’s next match at Flushing Meadows as she hunts a first major title will be against Chinese 23rd seed Zheng Qinwen.

In the night session on Louis Armstrong Stadium, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova needed only 56 minutes to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Czech ninth seed Vondrousova quickly wrapped up a 6-2 6-1 win against the Russian 22nd seed in a match which started at about 23:30 local time.

She goes on to play American world number 59 Peyton Stearns, who ended British number one Katie Boulter’s run.

Sabalenka and Pegula continue progress

Aryna Sabalenka is chasing her second Grand Slam title after winning this year’s Australian Open

Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka also breezed through with a 6-1 6-1 victory over France’s Clara Burel.

Since winning the Australian Open earlier this year, Sabalenka has enjoyed runs to the semi-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon.

If she beats the result of defending champion Iga Swiatek in New York then she will replace the Pole as world number one.

Sabalenka has cruised through her opening-round matches without dropping a set and will face 13th seed Daria Kasatkina next after the Russian beat Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-3 6-4.

Third seed Jessica Pegula fought off a comeback from Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, maintaining her bid to become the first home singles champion since Sloane Stephens in 2017.

The 29-year-old American has reached the quarter-finals of six Grand Slam tournaments without going beyond the last eight.

Pegula will face compatriot Madison Keys in the fourth round after a 6-4 4-6 6-2 win against 26th seed Svitolina.

Keys, who lost to Stephens in the 2017 final, came from behind to win 5-7 6-2 6-2 victory against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova.

Svitolina to take a break after successful year

Having reached the quarter-finals of the French Open on her return to Grand Slam tennis after having daughter Skai in October, Svitolina went one better at Wimbledon by reaching the last four.

While she was unable to replicate that success on the hard courts in New York, the former world number three’s comeback has gone better than she had hoped.

The 27-year-old had targeted getting back in the top 100 when she returned to the court in March and she managed that in just a few months.

“I didn’t expect for myself such a high level at Wimbledon. At Roland Garros, as well, I played really solid,” she said.

“In general, I’m very happy with the tournaments that I played, and with the season, I’m close to the top 20.”

While Svitolina said she was “disappointed” with the third-round loss at Flushing Meadows, she added she would use the early exit as an opportunity to take some time off and spend time with her daughter.

“I just want to take some time off right now to recover physically and go again,” said the Ukrainian, who had strapping on her right ankle.

“I don’t know how much time off I will take but I’m going to see what the doctors are going to suggest

“I didn’t see my daughter for long time now, so I’m really looking forward to going back home.”

Wozniacki ‘inspiration’ to Sabalenka

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki will continue her dream run at the US Open on Sunday against American sixth seed Gauff (not before 19:00 BST) and 25-year-old Sabalenka says the Dane’s return has been an “inspiration”.

Wozniacki, 33, retired in 2020 and had two children before returning to the court in August, reaching the second week at Flushing Meadows in her first Grand Slam back.

“I think it’s amazing,” Sabalenka said. “She was out for three-and-a-half years, having two kids, and came back and [is] still playing her best.

“I feel like if you have this level you will never lose it. It gives so much belief to me if one day I would like to go for a baby, I’ll have some chances to come back. She’s just such an inspiration and I’m really happy for her.”

American 17th seed Keys agreed, saying Wozniacki has “bounced back really quickly” and that her return is “incredibly impressive”.

Jabeur’s hopes were slipping away at a set and 4-2 behind but she rode a wave of momentum and raucous support to win 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 and reach a second successive final at the Championships.

It means there will be a new Wimbledon and Grand Slam champion on Saturday.

Vondrousova ended Ukrainian Elina Svitolina’s run by winning 6-3 6-3.

She is the first unseeded player to reach the Wimbledon women’s singles final in the Open era.

Tunisia’s Jabeur, the sixth seed, was beaten in last year’s final by Elena Rybakina and was wildly supported by the Centre Court crowd throughout one of the best matches of the tournament so far.

“Thank you to the crowd that kept me in the match,” Jabeur said in her on-court interview.

“Thank you very much for believing in me.

“I’m working a lot with my mental coach about this. I might be writing a book about it!”

Crowd favourite Jabeur turns it around

The charismatic Jabeur, bidding to become the first African and Arab woman to be a Slam singles champion, gained a large following at SW19 on her run to last year’s final.

That support was much needed as she fought back from the brink against the world number two.

Jabeur, who beat Rybakina in the previous round, had made most of the running in the first set, repeatedly applying pressure in Sabalenka service games – staying silent and composed as her opponent’s shrieks echoed around under the roof.

But from 4-2 in the first-set tie-break a flurry of untimely errors from the Tunisian allowed Australian Open champion Sabalenka to take the opener.

Jabeur was visibly deflated at the start of the second and at 2-2, a forehand error and a double fault gifted the Belarusian a break of serve, despite the crowd’s best efforts to lift their player.

With the match slipping away, Jabeur came out on the wrong side of two gruelling points – the second of which left her flat on her back on the grass in disappointment – but she still managed to break back to level.

From 4-4 she won the next two games, the set sealed with a stunning backhand return winner after which she cupped her ear to a roaring crowd.

With the momentum behind her, Jabeur broke for 4-2 in the decider, despite two huge forehands from Sabalenka almost allowing her to wriggle free.

Two games later, Sabalenka saved match points with big serving but on her own serve, having seen two more chances slip away, Jabeur served an ace of her own to seal the win.

“It was very difficult with her shots and her serves,” Jabeur said.

“I’m very proud of myself because maybe the old me would have lost this match today and I would’ve been back home already.

Vondrousova ends Svitolina’s stunning run

Recent history has provided a number of shock Grand Slam finalists in the women’s singles, but Vondrousova’s progress is probably the biggest Wimbledon surprise since Eugenie Bouchard reached the 2014 final.

Vondrousova, ranked 42nd in the world, admitted before the semi-final she “never thought” she could do well on grass.

Clay courts have long been considered the Czech’s best surface and she reached the French Open final as a 19-year-old in 2019, losing on the red dirt to Australia’s Ashleigh Barty.

Since that Roland Garros final she has not gone past the last 16 at a Grand Slam and has had two wrist surgeries, the latest of which kept her out until last October.

“I didn’t play for six months last year and you never know if you can be at that level again,” Vondrousova said.

“I’m so grateful to be here, be healthy and be playing tennis again.”

Vondrousova has grown in belief during the grass-court major, cleaning out four seeded opponents before facing former world number three Svitolina.

That confidence was illustrated as she started strongly. Vondrousova targeted Svitolina’s backhand and reaped the rewards with two breaks of serve in a run of three games against serve to lead 4-3.

Vondrousova’s loopier forehand caused problems for Svitolina, who hits a flatter ball, and greater consistency from the baseline enabled her to break again in the ninth game to seal the set.

The run of Svitolina has been one of the storylines of the fortnight.

Not only is she coming back from giving birth to daughter Skai in October, the Ukrainian is also dealing with the emotional aspect of the war back home, which she says she has used as added motivation to win matches.

As usual, Svitolina showed her determination and will to win even when she fell 4-0 down in the second set and the match looked to be quickly running away from her.

But she clawed back one break – and then the other – providing herself with hope of a remarkable comeback.

However, Vondrousova managed to recover from her edginess to break again and held her nerve in a tense service game to secure victory.