An Australian Open women’s draw that has defied prediction gets down to business in the semifinals on Thursday with Victoria Azarenka on the cusp of a remarkable revival and her compatriot Aryna Sabalenka the only remaining top-20 seed.
Although Sabalenka and Magda Linette of Poland will be playing in their first semifinals at Melbourne Park, Azarenka returns to final-four action after a decade away when she takes on Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
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Now a self-confessed “obnoxious” soccer mom, the 33-year-old Azarenka looked every inch the player who won back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2012 and 2013 when she took apart in-form third seed Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals.
