Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the semi-finals of the Rome Open on Wednesday after comfortably defeating Jelena Ostapenko in straight units, 6-2, 6-4.
Second seed Sabalenka wanted an hour and 13 minutes to see off Ostapenko and enhance her file towards her Latvian opponent to a few wins and no defeats.
Within the final 4 crowd favorite Sabalenka will face the winner of two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and Danielle Collins, this yr’s Miami Open winner, who face off afterward centre court docket.
“With this superb environment and with this superb assist… that’s why I’m tremendous motivated right here, and that’s why I all the time say that that is the dream event for me to win,” mentioned Sabalenka.
“I actually get pleasure from taking part in right here so I don’t have to consider being centered… I’m simply right here having fun with it and doing every thing I can to win each level I play no matter what the rating. I suppose that’s the important thing.”
The 26-year-old may get a rematch of the Madrid ultimate, which she misplaced dramatically to world primary Iga Swiatek earlier this month.
ALSO READ: Bopanna-Ebden pair bows out of Italian Open with pre-QF loss
And Sabalenka, who has gained the 2 most up-to-date Australian Opens, was in a unique class to Ostapenko, who may do nothing within the face of some punishing hitting.
Rome is the primary time for the reason that 2013 French Open that the highest three ladies have reached the final 4 of a WTA occasion of 250 degree or larger, with Swiatek and world quantity three Coco Gauff within the different semi-final.
Following Sabalenka might be Alejandro Tabilo, whose fairytale run within the males’s event continues towards China’s unseeded Zhang Zhizhen for a spot within the semi-finals.
Tabilo knocked out six-time Rome champion Novak Djokovic on Sunday and as the twenty ninth seed would be the favorite to arrange a last-four conflict with both world quantity 5 Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz, who play the day’s ultimate match.
Zverev, who gained the Rome title in 2017, is the highest-ranked man left within the occasion after Daniil Medvedev’s elimination on Tuesday.
In addition to Novak Djokovic’s exit, Italian world quantity two Jannik Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz each dropped out injured earlier than the event.
Holger Rune, who misplaced final yr’s ultimate to Medvedev, Madrid champion Andrey Rublev — ranked sixth on the planet — and overwhelmed finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime have additionally been eradicated.