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The world number five Elena Rybakina outclassed world number two and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek to march into the semifinals of the ongoing Australian Open on Wednesday.
Rybakina outclassed one of the finest in the world during the quarterfinals by 7-5, 6-1 in a match that lasted an hour and 35 minutes long, levelling her head-to-head record against Iga to 6-6. Rybakina was dominant, winning eight of her last nine games in the match. "I am really pleased with the win," Rybakina said in her on-court interview as quoted by WTA's official website. "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 am really happy with the win." This is also her 18th win in last 19 matches and eight successive win over a top 10-ranked player. The 2022 Wimbledon champion has booked a semifinal clash against Jessica Pegula, the world number six. Earlier, in an all-American showdown, Jessica Pegula defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6(1) in the Australian Open quarterfinals, securing her first-ever semifinal spot in Melbourne. The last time Pegula faced a compatriot in the Australian Open quarterfinals, she closed the match in 1 hour and 35 minutes on Wednesday to reach the semifinal. "It is awesome. I have been able to go deeper at the US Open the last couple years, but here was the first Slam that I really broke through at. And I was a three, and then this year, four-time quarterfinalist," Pegula said as per the WTA Tour website. "I was like, 'It is got to be coming, you know. The next round, I have got to get to the semi.' Because I feel like I play some really good tennis here, and I like the conditions. And I have always felt like, even matches I have lost here, that I have played well. So I have been waiting for the time when I could kind of break through," she added. Pegula has made it to her third Grand Slam semifinal, and it is her first time at a Major other than the US Open. She dominated fellow Americans, with this win marking her eighth straight victory over a US player at a Grand Slam. She also became the first American woman to defeat three compatriots in a single Australian Open since Gigi Fernandez accomplished the feat in 1993. (ANI)
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