The Australian Open
AO 2024 Women’s Day 10
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff lined up a seeded semi-final at the Australian Open on Tuesday, with Sabalenka now just two wins away from defending her 2023 title
The holder hammered 2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-3 to win her eighth quarter-final at a major.
The second seed will continue her quest for a title repeat as she takes on teenaged Gauff in a Thursday semi-final.
No. 4 Gauff survived a three-hour-plus festival of errors as she struggled to overcome Marta Kostyuk 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-2, reaching her first semi-final here.
It was the longest match of the teenager’s career.
Sabalenka charged ahead in 74 minutes into a replay of the 2023 US Open final won by Gauff in September.
“It was a great match today, i played well,” the winner said. “I hope it can stay this way for more matches.
“The final tonight reminds me of the atmosphere in the final last year,” Sabalenka said after finishing a contest which got underway two hours late after Gauff and the Novak Djokovic men’s win took almost seven hours to complete.
The 25-year-old has reached at least the semi-final stage at her last five majors.
Between them, Gauff and Ukrainian Kostyuk produced a cumulative 107 unforced errors, including 17 double-faults; the pair managed just over 50 winners, with the fist two sets each taking well over an hour each.
The 19-year-old rengining US Open champion Gauff won her 10th match in a row this season as she finished on her first match point. The match comprised 36 break points with just under half converted.
“I’m happy and proud of the fight I showed,” the Floridian said. “I left it all out there on the court.

“I got passive in the second wet (after winning the first from a huge deficit) but in the third I played more aggressive, trying to hit through the court,” added the seed who munches on fruit salad rather than energy gels during changeovers.
The opening set quickly set the tone for the afternoon struggle in 31 Celsius heat. with the 37th-ranked Kostyuk earning a 5-1 lead on the back of two breaks of the American’s serve.
Gauff managed to claw back to 5-all – salvaging a set point in the eighth game – with the pair then exchanging a final round of breaks before the tiebreaker.
The American saved another set point in the decider before converting on her own first winning chance to take the lead after 72 minutes.
Gauff squeaked through with just five winners and a massive 24 unforced errors while Kostyuk’s 26 ran the set total to 50. .
The two exchanged breaks of serve to start the second set but Gauff failed to impress as she was broken while serving for the match leading a set and 5-3, with Kostyuk going on to level the match.
Gauff looked like running away with the third set, taking a 5-0 lead and dropping two games before finally running out the winner.
ATP
Solid Sinner soars into Wimbledon final
Jannik Sinner buried the Wimbledon dream of Novak Djokovic on Friday with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win to reach a second straight final at the grasscourt classic.
The defending champion and world No. 1 never let his 39-year-old opponent – a seven-time champion here – into their semi-final , winning in two hours, 20 minutes..
It took nearly two hours for an impeccable Sinner to face a break point leading two sets and a break
The Italian calmly saved with his 11th ace and secured a 3-1 lead with another untouchable serve.
Leading 5-4, Sinner set up three match points with his 16th ace and took victory as Djokovic reached for a high ball off a drop shot return but sent it wide to lose.
Sinner will now take a dominating record into the Sunday final against Alexander Zverev, who booked his second consecutive Grand Slam final after winning Roland Garros last month.
The German second seed defeated Briton Arthur Fery 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4.

But he will need to reverse a negative trend against Sinner, who has won their last nine meetings and has ot lost a set in their last six.
Sinner will be competing in his seventh Grand Slam final and first at Wimbledon.
“It’s amazing,” the 24-year-old Italian winner said of his defeat of Djokovic. “It means a lot to play one more final here.
“It’s amazing what Novak is still showing (on court). He’s an inspiration,” he said of the rival who defeated him in January’s Australian Open semis.
Sinner credited his team’s preparation for helping him to the straight-sets victory.
“We tried to make some adjustments. I stayed aggressive and serve well, which helped me. against the best returner in the game.
“I’m very hapy with today’s performance. I’m happy to be back in the final.”
Sinner becomes the first Italian player to reach multiple Wimbledon singles finals.
“It was a good old blowout,” Djokovic said of his loss. “I was not sharp enough, not balanced enough; there was not much I could do on the court.
“He was the much better player and the dominant force. You have to hand it to him and say ‘well done.'”
Main photo:-Jannik Sinner eases to three set victory over Novak Djokovic – by Roger Parker/ ISF Ltd
The Australian Open
Fashion-forward Osaka will tone it down at RG
Tennis style icon Naomi Osaka has no plans to try for one-upmanship in the informal fashion stakes at Roland Garros.
The former world No. 1 from Japan has sometimes made more news with her style choices than her racquet, especially after taking time off several seasons ago to have a child.
But Osaka has run against the traditional tennis grain with some of her outfits, which included an exo-skeleton ensemble at January’s Australian Open, where she walked onto court for her opening match wearing a large hat, veil, and carrying a parasol combination and wearing a pair of pleated pants..
The clothing was discarded before the start revealing a tennis dress, with the quirky player explaining the get-up was inspired by “the jellyfish, then butterflies, which ties back to the butterfly moment I had here a long time ago, in 2021,”
The world No. 16 also put on a fashion show at the spring Met Gala in New York, sporting a wedding dress-style garment combined with another huge hat..
For Osaka, it’s just another day in the office, but she said nothing special is planned when Roland Garros kicks of on Sunday in Paris.
“I don’t talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes,” she said on Saturday prior to the start of the year’s second major.
“That means I can be as loud with colors or patterns or
fabric as I want.
“I think that’s the fun part.. I feel we lost that a little in tennis. I grew up with, you know, Serena’s and Venus’s (Williams) grand reveals (included beaded hair and catsuits on court).
“I know there are some kids or some people who are similar to me that hopefully feel that same way about my outfits.
“But, yeah, I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense.”
ATP
Kyrgios due to resurface on German grass
Nick Kyrgios is being touted for a return to tennis after playing just one singles match all season, with the controversial Australian due in the lineups for Stuttgart and Halle in June.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist who turns 31 in a week, has been added to the entry lists for the pair of run-up events prior to the grass-court major which starts on June 29.
Kyrgios, who has missed months on end due to injury and motivational worries, has played just one Grand Slam match since 2022, losing in the Australian Open first round in 2025.
His lone outing this season was an ATP defeat in Brisbane on January 6.
Nevertheless, the acquired taste is feted as a crowd-puller and will have German organisers on alert as to his eventual availability.
“Nick Kyrgios has been one of the most dazzling personalities in world tennis for years,” Halle tournament organisers said in a statement.
“The Australian is known for his exceptional playing style, characterised by one of the best serves on the tour, spectacular winners, and great creativity.
“At the same time, his emotional personality and charisma attract considerable attention far beyond the sport.”
Stuttgart start the day after the Roland Garros final while Halle follows a week later in northern Germany from June 13-21.
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