World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka Advances to Italian Open Semifinals After Defeating Svitolina and Ostapenko

May 15, 2024, 11:06 AM

Aryna Sabalenka, the World No. 2, has advanced to the semifinals of the Italian Open in Rome. Sabalenka's journey to the semifinals included a dramatic victory over Elina Svitolina, where she saved three match points and overcame back stiffness to win 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(7) around 12:45 a.m. local time. She then defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. This marks Sabalenka's second consecutive semifinal appearance following her performance in Madrid. She will face either Victoria Azarenka or Danielle Collins for a spot in the final. Sabalenka has now reached her 19th WTA 1000 quarterfinal and her 10th WTA 1000 semifinal since the start of the 2020 season.