By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, January 26, 2023
Aryna Sabalenka stopped Magda Linette 7-6(1), 6-2 to reach her maiden major final at the Australian Open and raise her 2023 record to 10-0.
Photo credit: Getty
Grand Slam ghosts and double fault demons don't scare Aryna Sabalenka.
Winless in three prior major semifinals, Sabalenka hammered haunting away with conviction today.
More: Rybakina Tops Azarenka for AO Final
Powered by a blistering tiebreaker, a sharp Sabalenka stopped semifinal debutant Magda Linette 7-6(1), 6-2 charging into her maiden major semifinal at the Australian Open.
"I'm super happy that I was able to get this win," Sabalenka said. "I mean she's an unbelievable player. She played great tennis. I'm just super happy right now. The atmosphere was unbelievable."
The undefeated Sabalenka raised her record to a perfect 10-0 sweeping all 20 sets she's played this season in a superb start to 2023 that vaults her to No. 2 in the rankings.
"There is still one more match to go," Sabalenka said. "It's good that I kind of break through in the semifinals, but there is one more match to go. Yeah, I just want to stay focused."
The woman whose spasmodic serve was such a mess last January, she was averaging 16 double faults through her first six matches, has streamlined her serve, sharpened her baseline attack and solidified her status as a Grand Slam contender.
The No. 5-seeded Sabalenka smacked six aces against two double faults and more than tripled Linette's winner total: 33 to 9. Through six Melbourne Park wins, Sabalenka has smacked 29 aces against 22 double faults.
The 2021 AO doubles champion Sabalenka will play Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in Saturday's final.
The No. 22-seeded Rybakina defeated two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka 7-6(4), 6-3 in today's opening semifinal.
It was Rybakina's third consecutive victory over a Grand Slam champion following her 6-2, 6-4 win over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals and a 6-4, 6-4 upset of reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion Iga Swiatek in a fourth-round win that was her first over a world No. 1.
Overlooked at the outset where she was relegated to Court 13 in the first-round, Rybakina has ripped a tournament-best 44 aces in six tournament victories.
"To be honest I just want to come on court and enjoy the moment and the atmosphere because it's really amazing to play in front of you guys so thank you so much," Rybakina told Rod Laver Arena fans. "We'll see how it's gonna go. For sure I'll try my best and fight and hopefully I'm gonna win."
This Happy Slam final shapes up as a slugfest between two of the premier power players in the sport. Sabalenka is 3-0 lifetime vs. Rybakina, but all three of those matches have gone the distance and all were played before the Kazakh became a Grand Slam champion.
"She's an amazing player," Sabalenka said of Rybakina. "She' splaying great tennis, super aggressive and she's already got one Grand Slam, so she kind of had this experience playing the final and yeah it's going to be a great battle. I'm really looking forward to this final."
Playing her first night match of the tournament, Sabalenka got off to a sloppy start, spraying a backhand long to gift a love break in the opening game.
Contesting her maiden major semifinal in her 30th Grand Slam appearance, Linette showed no trace of nerves at the start surging through eight of the first nine points for a 2-0 lead.
A superb Sabalenka running forehand strike down the line loosened up the big-hitting Belarusian.
Swinging more freely, Sabalenka stormed through three games in a row. That run was highlighted by the Belarusian turning defense to offense in slamming a crosscourt forehand winner to punctuate a 19-shot rally. That crunching strike helped Sabalenka dig out of a 15-30 hole and hold for 3-2.
Smooth movement and her skill elevating her topspin forehand to give her time to recover to the center are Linette assets—and important weapons against the heavier-hitting Belarusian. Lifting a running forehand down the line, Linette stayed in step leveling the set after eight games.
A quality opening set spike in intensity.
Serving down 5-6, Love-30, Linette made a stand.
The slender Pole dodged a dilemma at deuce when Sabalenka netted a forehand pass. Striking a backhand down the line, Linette benefitted from a net-cord skimmer holding to force the tiebreaker.
The third Polish woman to contest an Australian Open semifinal after Agnieszka Radwanska, who sat in her support box, and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Linette managed the match well until Sabalenka lowered the big boom in the breaker.
Elevating to levels Linette could not match, Sabalenka smoked a forehand down the line to open the breaker and blasted her way to a 6-0 lead highlighted by a shrewd second-serve slice ace. On her second set point, Sabalenka scalded a crosscourt forehand missile to seal a 51-minute opening set with a bang.
It was Sabalenka's ninth win in her last 10 tiebreakers.
The Adelaide champion played an audacious breaker of power and patience plowing to a one-set lead. Sabalenka smacked 10 of her 20 winners off the forehand moving to within one set of her first major final.
Across the net, Linette did little wrong herself but was overwhelmed by Sabalenka's breaker brilliance.
Facing a barrage of ballistic returns from the Belarusian, Linette blinked, dropping serve in the third game of set two. Sabalenka backed up the break with confidence extending her lead to 3-1.
All the good and gritty work Linette did in the opening set, dissolved amid the sheer storm of shotmaking fire Sabalenka unleashed in the tiebreaker and sustained. It wasn't all just heavy hitting either.
Scampering up to a short ball, Sabalenka showed soft touch slicing a one-handed backhand approach that would have made Hall of Famer Billie Jean King, who sat courtside for the semis with the Original Nine, proud. That slick approach gave Sabalenka her third break for 4-1.
Pummelling powerful shots that sent Linette careening corner to corner, Sabalenka banged a backhand for two match points.
Credit the resilient Linette for fighting off three match points in a gritty hold for 2-5.
Slashing an ace for a fourth match point, Sabalenka slid a forehand into the corner to continue this undefeated dream run.