MELBOURNE, Australia — Elena Rybakina defeated Iga Świątek 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the Australian Open semifinals and prevent the Polish player from completing a career Grand Slam of singles titles.
The victory gives Rybakina a chance to win a second Grand Slam title after winning Wimbledon in 2022.
Swiatek is a four-time French Open champion and has won the U.S. Open and Wimbledon titles. She is trying to become the 11th woman to complete a career Grand Slam.
The first set lasted an hour, and Rybakina broke Switek in the final game. The second one is almost the opposite.
Rybakina, who was born in Russia but represented the Kazakhstan team, broke her Polish opponent twice in the beginning and led 3-0. She hit two aces to lead 4-1, broke serve in the sixth game, and ended the match with an ace.
In the last women’s quarterfinals, two American players, Jessica Pegula, faced off against Amanda Anisimova. Pegula is seeking her first Grand Slam title after losing in the 2024 US Open final.
Anisimova is also seeking her first Grand Slam, having failed to reach the finals at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last season.
The winner of the Pegula-Anisimova match will face Rybakina in Thursday’s semifinals. In Thursday’s other semifinal, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face Elina Svitolina.
The final two men’s quarterfinals will also be played on Wednesday, with Lorenzo Musetti facing 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton facing two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.
The men’s semifinals are scheduled for Friday.
