Elena Rybakina won a battle of Grand Slam champions on Tuesday, dismissing Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4 ro reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time.
The quarter-final between the reigning Wimbleodn winner and the 2017 Roland Garros champion was interrupted by passing rain aer four games, with the roof of the Laver showcourt forced to be closed.
Rybakina from Kazakhstan was untroubled by the change of conditions as she kept up the pressure on Ostapenko throughout.
She advanced on her third match point – an ace – to next face the winner from US third seed Jessica Pegula and two-time Melbourne winner Victoria Azarenka.
“This will be my first semi-final here and I’m very happy about it,” Rybakina said. “I was nervous in the last game, but not as much as before the match.
“I think I managed my emotions well, I played really well today.”
She added: “Of course conditions changed when the roof closed, but in Australia you never know about the weather – you have to be ready always.”
