Sabalenka dumps Gauff, Zverev upends Alcaraz

MELBOURNE (Reuters/AP) – Aryna Sabalenka took a big step towards retaining her Australian Open crown by beating American fourth seed Coco Gauff 7-6(2) 6-4 in a thriller on Thursday to reach the final where she will meet Zheng Qinwen or qualifier Dayana Yastremska.

Early Thursday, Alexander Zverev snuffed out a thrilling Carlos Alcaraz comeback to set up a semifinal against Daniil Medvedev.

The big-serving German recovered from a major wobble to win 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4 in just over three hours, crushing Alcaraz’s hopes of a third Grand Slam title.

In a rematch of their US Open final in September, the two reigning hardcourt Grand Slam champions made contrasting starts as Belarusian Sabalenka fired an ace and revved up her forehand to hold before pouncing on two double faults by Gauff to break.

Gauff hit back right away and the pair swapped breaks again but the 19-year-old New York champion continued to teeter on her serve, allowing Sabalenka to settle her nerves after going 6-5 down in a frantic spell to clinch the first set in a tiebreak.

The pair were locked together until 4-4 in the second set as Sabalenka countered Gauff’s speed with power and the 25-year-old second seed edged ahead with a decisive break when the teenager hit a shot long before sealing victory with two massive serves.

Earlier, Zverev broke at his first opportunity on Rod Laver Arena, dominating the charismatic Spaniard, who could find no answer to his opponent’s power and precision.

The sixth seed served for victory at 5-3 in the third set but the Spaniard somehow broke his opponent and produced some outrageous shots in the tie-break as the crowd erupted.

The pair swapped breaks at the beginning of the fourth set but Zverev earned a crucial breakthrough in the ninth game and served it out to reach the semis at Melbourne Park for the second time.

“I was playing one of the best players in the world. Over the past two years he has been number one or number two constantly,” said the 26-year-old.

“He’s won two Grand Slams, and when you are up 6-1, 6-3, 5-2, you start thinking. We are all human. It is a great honor to play against guys like him.”