Australian Open, women’s semifinals: Rybakina-Azarenka and Sabalenka-Linette

Elena Rybakina, a girl born in Moscow but naturalized Kazakh in 2018, won the Wimbledon edition banned for Russian and Belarusian players. You screw it up in the system. Among those excluded was Vika Azarenka, the never tame champion. She will try to take revenge, with the aim of reaching her sixth Grand Slam final. Her first since the US Open in 2020, when her loss to Naomi Osaka came. Woe to underestimating Azarenka when it comes to the Australian Open: the two Majors won in her career arrived in Melbourne, in 2012 and 2013. Leo’s mother, the beloved son who awaits Vika at home (“But I also miss the dog, today is his birthday” the words after the victory against Pegula), he hadn’t reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for exactly ten years.

The climb

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Another Grand Slam final would be a further step forward in history and would bring Azarenka closer to the top-10: she entered the tournament as number 24 in the ranking, she is virtually 16th and by beating Rybakina she would rise to 11th place. She is just ahead of the Kazakh, she is currently 12th with as many as 13 positions gained since the beginning of the tournament and with the prospect of entering the top 10 players in the world by winning against the Belarusian tennis player. You are recovering what you left behind at Wimbledon: the title has arrived, true, but the points have not. Elena has what it takes to be among the first in the world, Iga Swiatek tried it on her own skin in the round of 16. Therefore, the match between Rybakina and Azarenka to be followed: appointment at 9.30 am Italian time, on Eurosport and Discovery+.

Sabalenka

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This will be followed by the second women’s semifinal: Aryna Sabalenka against Magda Linette. Another Belarusian against the surprise Polish: not Swiatek but the number 45 in the world, who had never passed the third round in a Grand Slam before this edition of the Australian Open. Sabalenka seems very fast and ready, finally, for the big shot in a Major. The problems in her service are overcome, thanks also to the work done with a biomechanics coach. At her fourth attempt, Aryna sees her first Grand Slam semifinal: in 2023 she won nine out of nine matches, without losing a single set and winning the title in Adelaide before the ride in Melbourne. Her victory against Linette would move Sabalenka to second place in the rankings. But watch out: the Pole knows how to amaze.