(Melbourne) Kazakh Elena Rybakina, 25e world champion and last Wimbledon champion, qualified for the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday by dominating Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (17e) 6-2, 6-4.
“I am very happy to reach the semi-finals here for the first time. I was nervous in the last game, but not as nervous as before the game. So I’m very happy to have mastered my emotions and to have played very well,” commented the 23-year-old player.
She will face Thursday for a place in the final the American Jessica Pegula (3e) or Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (24e and double winner in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013).
Facing Ostapenko, champion at Roland-Garros in 2017, Rybakina made her power speak. She stunned her opponent with eleven aces, including one on match point, and 24 winners.
The tall Kazakh (1.83m) immediately took the game into her own hands by making the entry break to lead 2-0.
At 3-1 and 30/40, when she had another break point, a shower fell on Melbourne and the match was interrupted for a few minutes, time to close the roof and wipe the court.
On the return, she managed the double break and confirmed on her face-off to break away 5-1.
“We know it can happen in Melbourne, so you have to be ready for anything. This is the beauty of tennis, this need to adapt, ”commented Rybakina who was therefore not bothered by the interruption or the resumption under the roof in other playing conditions.
Ostapenko, however, started the second set better by taking the face-off from Rybakina.
But the latter lined up four games to lead 4-2 and kept the advantage until the end.
Rybakina had never made it past the third round in three Australian Major appearances so far.