| Australian Open 2024 women’s semi-finals |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park Date: 25 January |
| Coverage: Commentary from 08:00 GMT on Tennis Breakfast on Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, with live text commentary and match reports on the BBC Sport website and app |
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will be out for “revenge” when she takes on American teenager Coco Gauff for a place in the Australian Open final.
The Belarusian lost out in a thrilling US Open final in September after Gauff fought back from a set down to triumph.
Seeking to retain the title which represented her first major title 12 months ago, Sabalenka has been in devastating form in Melbourne.
“After the US Open, I really wanted that revenge,” said Sabalenka.
“It’s always a great battle against Coco, really great fights. I’m happy to play her and I’m super excited to play the semi-final match,” the 25-year-old added.
“She’s moving really well. Everything you do on the court is coming back. She’s a great player, and I’m really excited to play her.”
That match will begin at 08:30 GMT on Thursday on Rod Laver Arena and the winner is guaranteed to face a player who has never reached this far at a Grand Slam in Saturday’s showpiece, with Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen and Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska contesting the biggest match of their respective careers in the day’s second semi-final.
Sabalenka’s revenge mission
After her US Open final loss to 19-year-old Gauff in New York, an emotional Sabalenka was seen smashing her racquet against the floor on the way back to the dressing room.
But the second seed has responded to that disappointment in emphatic fashion on her return to Grand Slam action in Melbourne, where she is yet to lose a set and has conceded just 16 games across five matches.
The longest Sabalenka has been kept on court is the 71 minutes it took to dismiss Czech ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova in the quarter-finals as she efficiently extended her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 12 matches.
She has now reached the semi-finals at her past six Grand Slam tournaments – and eight of her last 10 since reaching her first at Wimbledon in 2021 – a level of consistency at the sport’s top level which she has put down to a change in mindset.
“I’m not getting crazy on court, I’m not rushing things. I’m just playing point by point and that’s it, fighting for every point without overthinking about my dreams,” Sabalenka said.
“I just decided at some point I needed to figure out by myself how to start controlling myself better. I think that decision was the biggest decision for me and I started actually taking responsibility for everything I’m doing.”
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