Second-seeded Elena Rybakina only needed to play seven games in her quarterfinal on Friday to reach the final four at the Brisbane International. (More Tennis News)
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka had a tougher run, needing three sets, about 2 1/2 hours and joked about the prospeﷺct of having to wear protective headwear to advance 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 over 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, the No. 3 sꦺeed.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, won the first set 6-1 before 11th-seeded Anastasia Potapova retired from their match with an abdominal injury. She'll next play either Linda Noskova or Mirra An🐟dreeva.
Aza🌺renka, who won back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2012 and '13, clinched her victory in a tense match three games after Ostapenko's emotional outburst at chair umpire Julie Kjendlie.
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“With Jelena, sometim𝔍es you just have to put on a helmet and try to stay in there,” Azarenka said. "She's an incredible player and a Grand Slam champion, and she's proved many times she can beat anybody on any🦂 given day.
“The quality of tennis was incredible, so to be able to go through ... I'm very proud﷽.”
Azarenka hiꦏt 16 aces, had only two double-faults and moved well but struggled at times to handle Ostapenko's powerful groundstrok🌳es in the second and third sets.
Os🐈tapenko broke early in the third set with a backhand winner but wa🐻sn't able to consolidate as Azarenka broke back. When Azarenka lunged forward to retrieve a drop shot and won the point to hold for a 5-4 lead in the deciding set, Ostapenko questioned whether the ball had bounced twice.
“You make so much mistakes” the Latvian player told the umpire. "I never want 💛you on my match again. You ruin my matches.”
Ostapenko lost the next two points but won four straight t𓃲o hold serve and make it 5-5, before Azarenka went on a roll and won eight of the last nine points to reach the semifinalsꦍ again.
She'll face either top-seeded compatriot Aryna Sabalenka, the defending Australian Ope🌌n champion, or fifth-seeded Daria Kasatkina.
Rafael Nadal will be aiming to extend his comeback tജournament from a year-long injury layoff when he meets Australian Jordan Thompson in a quarterfinal nightcap on Pat Rafter Arena.
The 22-time major winner has had straight-sets wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler in his first two competitive matches since the 2🌺023 Australian Open.
