Sabalenka holds key, Muchova beats Rybakina to advance to Brisbane semi-finals – Tennis Now
Defending Brisbane champion Aryna Sabalenka extended her Brisbane winning streak to eight matches with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Madison Keys, while Karolina Muchova ended Elena Rybakina’s 13-match winning streak with an upset 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Sabalenka and Muchova will meet in the semi-finals in Brisbane on Saturday. Muchova leads 3-1 in the clash between the two teams and has now won three consecutive games against Sabalenka.
Rybakina, the 2024 Brisbane champion, has not lost since the quarter-finals in Wuhan last year. She won the WTA Finals in Riyadh last year.
“My last two games, I had a lot of trouble with my serve and I think the action wasn’t the best. Like I said, there’s still time to work on some things,” Rybakina said.
Asked to specify her struggles, Rybakina said: “I think the throws were everywhere and the push in the legs. It all had to be connected and I felt uncomfortable.”
Muchova, making her first appearance in Brisbane since 2020, improved to 10-10 against the top 5 and 2-1 against the former Wimbledon champion. The 10th-ranked Czech has never played in a WTA 500 final before.
“I’m very happy. To be honest, it couldn’t be better. Played three matches, two of them against top 10 players,” Muchova said. “It’s a way to start the new year and it’s great to have that experience on the pitch, so I’m happy.”
Sabalenka was in control from start to finish against Keys, breaking the American five times and winning nine of the last 12 games. Keys hasn’t beaten a top-10 player since beating Sabalenka in last year’s final to end her Australian Open title run. Since then she has lost seven consecutive top 10s.
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