Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are set for a rematch of the US Open 2023 final in the 2024 Australian Open semi-final after advancing to the last four while other seeds fell around them.
Gauff, the fourth seed, faced a tough challenge against unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, eventually triumphing 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-2 in a match that lasted over three hours.
Defending champion Sabalenka maintained her impressive form, not dropping more than three games in a set, with a swift 6-2, 6-3 victory against ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova.
The night session was delayed by over two hours, but it didn't hinder Sabalenka, who expressed satisfaction with her performance, saying, "I played really great tennis, and I hope I can keep playing that way or even better."
Sabalenka, who lifted her first Grand Slam trophy in Melbourne last year, has been consistently reaching at least the semi-finals in every major since.
Gauff, on the other hand, is through to the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time, facing a challenging battle against Kostyuk, with both players committing a total of 107 unforced errors.
Gauff, at 19, is the youngest American to reach the women's semi-finals in Melbourne since Mary Joe Fernandez in 1991. She is now two wins away from securing back-to-back Grand Slam titles.
Earlier today, Novak Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to qualify for the Australian Open 2024 semi-final.
Djokovic, 36, maintained his unstoppable form and defeated his American counterpart as he cruised into the semi-final of the slam for the 11th time, his 48th Grand Slam semi-final overall.
Fritz gave a tough time to the Serb at the start of the first set as the American had two set points but Djokovic, known for thriving under pressure, overcame the deficit and eventually ended up winning 7-6.
Frtiz made an excellent comeback in the second set and won 6-4, making Djokovic fight throughout the 10-gamer.
However, Djokovic didn’t give in to the pressure of having lost the previous set and beat Fritz in successive sets to qualify for another Australian Open semi-final to continue the pursuit of his record-extending 11th slam in Melbourne.