The bottom half of the 2024 Australian Open women’s singles draw will feature a rematch of the most recent US Open final, as Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have booked a semifinal meeting in Melbourne.
Wearing the red version of the Nike Spring Slam Dress from the Melbourne collection, the defending champion Sabalenka confidently defeated Barbora Krejcikova 6-2 6-3 and advanced to the Australian Open semifinals without dropping a set, conceding just 16 games on her way to the last four.
Sabalenka swiftly secured a 4-1 lead in the first set of the night session quarterfinal on Rod Laver Arena. Despite Krejcikova managing to reclaim one break, the Belarusian’s dominance remained unthreatened, securing a comfortable victory in the opening set.
The second set unfolded similarly, with Sabalenka once again establishing a 4-1 lead before conceding serve in the sixth game. Despite not immediately recovering the break this time, Sabalenka continued to cruise through the match, securing victory on her opponent’s serve and extending her winning record against Krejcikova to six victories in their seven career meetings.
Earlier on Tuesday, Coco Gauff scraped past first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Marta Kostyuk 7-6(6) 6-7(3) 6-2 to reach her first semifinal at the Australian Open. The American’s performance was way below par, with 51 unforced errors to just 17 winners, but she managed to get through and hopes that she “got the bad match out of the way”.
The other two women’s singles quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday. After a series of high-profile early exits, the top half of the draw is poised to produce a first-time Grand Slam semifinalist, with contenders such as China’s Zheng Qinwen, Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, and the Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova, none of whom have previously reached the semifinals at a major.
