French Open 2023: Aryna Sabalenka sets up Karolina Muchova semi-final clash as she dispatches Elina Svitolina
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ByEurosport
Updated 06/06/2023 at 13:05 GMT
Aryna Sabalenka remains on course for her second Grand Slam of 2023 as she advanced to the semi-finals of the French Open with a straight-sets win over Elina Svitolina. The Australian Open champion proved too strong for her Ukrainian opponent to set up a final-four clash with Karolina Muchova. Stream the 2023 French Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk.
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates a point against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during the Women's Singles Quarter Final match on Day Ten of the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros on June 06, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
Aryna Sabalenka is into the semi-finals of the French Open for the first time following an impressive 6-4 6-4 win over Elina Svitolina.
Svitolina put up a decent fight early on but in the end, the 2023 Australian Open champion proved too strong on Philippe-Chatrier.
There was no handshake between the pair at the net as Ukrainian Svitolina has said she would not shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players following Russia's invasion of her country.
Belarusian world No. 2 Sabalenka next faces Karolina Muchova, who earlier beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.
Sabalenka has been the standout player on the WTA Tour this season and it was her incredible power that proved the difference against Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after giving birth last year.
Svitolina hung with Sabalenka in the early stages of the contest and withstood pressure on her serve to hold in the seventh game.
But eventually the breakthrough came when Svitolina missed with two forehands to give Sabalenka a chance to break in the ninth game of the set.
The opportunity was seized upon by the second seed as she drilled a backhand winner down the line from a second serve.
Sabalenka closed out the set in confident fashion and then immediately pressured Svitolina’s serve to start the second.
However, Svitolina produced a gusty hold in the face of Sabalenka’s strong hitting to win the game.
The hold seemed to reinvigorate Svitolina, who broke the next game helped by a brilliant backhand winner and a double fault from Sabalenka.
But Svitolina couldn’t continue to hold off Sabalenka’s power as the second seed hit back by winning four games in a row.
There was no way back from there for Svitolina as Sabalenka recovered from 0-30 down to serve out the victory, fittingly sealing it with a forehand winner.
Sabalenka finished with 30 winners against seven from Svitolina.
Muchova reached the semi-finals with a 7-5 6-2 win over Pavlyuchenkova.
Muchova broke three times in the first set and twice in the second to reach her second Grand Slam semi-final, having also made the last four at the 2021 Australian Open.
“It’s been an incredible two weeks, and I’m glad to still be in the competition,” she said.
“The first set was very important. I’m glad that I was able to break her and play with the wind [to serve it out].”
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