Australian Open: Elena Rybakina reaches second major semifinal
Kazakh Elena Rybakina is in the semifinals of the Australian Open 2023 after a clear two-set win over Jelena Ostapenko.
by SID
last edit: Jan 24, 2023, 05:09 am
Even a rain break didn't put Elena Rybakina out of step: The 23-year-old Wimbledon winner from Kazakhstan is in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Rybakina prevailed in a duel between two Grand Slam winners against Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 6: 2, 6: 4.
Rybakina, who knocked out the title favorite Iga Swiatek from Poland in the round of 16, meets the winner of the match between the USA Jessica Pegula and the two-time Melbourne winner Viktoria Azarenka from Belarus in the semifinals. Her match against Ostapenko was interrupted in the first set when the score was 3-1 because the roof of the Rod Laver Arena had to be closed due to rain.
"In Australia you never know how the weather will develop. That's the nice thing about the sport, that you always have to adapt to new conditions," said the native Russian. She had won the first Grand Slam title for Kazakhstan at Wimbledon, and has been serving for the country since 2018. Ostapenko won the French Open in 2017.
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