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Elena Rybakina has made it to the Australian Open semifinals for the first time since her 2023 final appearance, stunning No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Fifth seed Rybakina pulled away in the 1-hour and 35-minute match, winning eight of the last nine games, and levelled her record against Swiatek to 6-6 in the process, as per the WTA Tour website. Rybakina has been on fire, racking up her 18th win in 19 matches since last October, with her latest triumph over Swiatek marking her eighth straight win over a Top 10 player. Rybakina will now face either Jessica Pegula or Amanda Anisimova in the final fours. "I'm really pleased with the win. We know each other pretty well, and I was just trying to stay aggressive. In the first set, the first serve wasn't working for both of us, so we were trying to step in on the second serve and put pressure on each other. In the second set, I just started to play more free, serve better, and I'm really happy with the win," Rybakina said after her match. "Really happy with the last two matches. It's a bit challenging with the sun, but I'm finding a way. For now, the serve is really helping, so hopefully I can continue like this," she added. Earlier, Rybakina was at her best after she thrashed 21st seed Elise Mertens to secure a coveted berth in the quarterfinals. Rybakina displayed an aggressive performance, clinching the game 6-1 and 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena. (ANI)
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