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MELBOURNE, January 25

Aryna Sabalenka continued her confident march towards a second successive Australian Open crown with a 7-6(2) 6-4 victory over Coco Gauff in a blockbuster semifinal today to set up a title-decider against Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.

Zheng ended qualifier Dayana Yastremska’s remarkable run 6-4 6-4 in the day’s second semifinal but will be long odds to land her first Grand Slam title against the second seed on Saturday and match compatriot Li Na’s triumph a decade ago.

Sabalenka again looked in almost irresistible form as she avenged her loss to Gauff in last year’s US Open final in a high-quality contest to reach the championship match without losing a set for the second year in a row.

The American teenager, also looking to land her second Grand Slam title, is one of the most athletic players in women’s tennis and tore around Rod Laver Arena to stay in the contest until the Belarusian’s power finally overwhelmed her.

“It was an incredible match,” said Sabalenka. “She’s a great player, always tough battles against her. I think the key was that I was able to stay focused no matter what, no matter what the score was, I just keep trying my best, keep fighting for it.”

The two reigning hardcourt Grand Slam champions made contrasting starts as Sabalenka fired an ace and revved up her forehand to hold before pouncing on two double faults by Gauff to break. Gauff hit back right away and the pair swapped breaks again but the 19-year-old continued to teeter on her serve, allowing Sabalenka to settle her nerves after going 6-5 down in a frantic spell to clinch the first set in a tiebreak.

The pair were locked until 4-4 in the second set as Sabalenka countered Gauff’s speed with power and the 25-year-old edged ahead with a decisive break when gauff hit a shot long before sealing win with two serves. — Reuters