Semifinals set at 2023 Australian Open

The semifinals are set at the 2023 Australian Open. One great news story is the fact we have one unseeded woman in the final four (Magda Linette of Poland) and one unseeded man in the final four (Tommy Paul of the United States), of the same major.

Linette advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open with a 6-3, 7-5 win over two-time grand slam finalist Karolina Pliskova of Czechia, the 30th seed, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Pliskova, who reached the 2016 United States Open final (lost to Angelique Kerber of Germany, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4), and the 2021 Wimbledon Final (lost to Ashleigh Barty of Australia, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3), was the fourth straight seeded player Linette eliminated at the 2023 Australian Open. Others were the 16th seed, Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the second round, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, the 19th seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia in the third round, 6-3, 6-4, and the fourth seed, Caroline Garcia of France in the fourth round, 7-6, 6-4.

Linette is now facing the fifth seed, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the four-time grand slam semifinalist. Sabalenka is however 0-3 in three prior semifinal majors having lost in the semifinals of the 2021 and 2022 U.S. Open, and 2021 Wimbledon. In the quarterfinals, Sabalenka beat Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-3, 6-2. The other women’s semifinal has fellow Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the 24th seed, against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, the 22nd seed. 

Paul meanwhile beat fellow American Ben Shelton 7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. He will face Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, the fourth seed, and 21-time grand slam champion, in the semifinals. Djokovic clobbered Andrey Rublev of Russia, the fifth seed, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, also on Wednesday. The other men’s semifinal has Russia’s Karen Khachanov, the 18th seed, against the third seed, and 2021 French Open finalist, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

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